[Quelle der Abbildungen: The Book of the Fair : an historical and descriptive
presentation of the world's science, art, and industry, as viewed through the
Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893, designed to set forth the display made
by the Congress of Nations, of human achievement in material form, so as to more
effectually to illustrate the profess of mankind in all the departments of
civilized life / by Hubert Howe Bancroft ... -- Chicago, San Francisco : The
Bancroft Company, 1893. 10 Bde. -- Online:
http://columbus.gl.iit.edu/. --
Zugriff am 2003-05-08]

"The fair was a people's festival, epitomizing the Gilded Age and,
at least nominally, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by
Christopher Columbus.

Opened during a financial panic, it was neonetheless the first American
fair of note to return a profit. It featured architect Daniel Burnham's famous White City
and attracted more than 27 million people. Its network of canals and artificial lagoons
was fed by the waters of nearby Lake Michigan, and its exciting architecture embodied the
new classicism of »the American Renaissance«. The facades ranged from overly ornate
splendor to the uncluttered lines of Louis H. Sullivan's Transportation Building, although
even that had a gilded entranceway.

Inventions such as the phonograph, Linotype, and Pullman car were on
display. But the practical uses of electricity, demonstrated in an electrified house, made
the deepest impression on fairgoers.

For the first time at a fair, machines became a source of fun. There was
George Ferris' first wheel, terrifying but irresistible, as well as a balloon ride and
artificial ice for summer skating.

The Midway amusement section was another fair first. Its features
included Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and perhaps the fair`s most talked about
attraction: Little Egypt, a hootchy-kootchy dancer who delighted some and horrified
others."

DR. HORACE BUSHNELL, that profound and original thinker of New England, has said, that " It is only Religion, the great bond of love and duty to God, that makes any existence valuable or even tolerable."

In the Columbian Exposition of 1893, for the first time on such an occasion, Religion has had due preeminence. Since faith in a Divine Power to whom men believe they owe service and worship has been like the sun, a life-giving and fructifying potency in man's intellectual and moral development; since Religion lies back of Hindu literature with its marvelous and mystic developments; of European Art, whether in the form of Grecian statues or Gothic cathedrals ; and of American liberty and the recent uprisings of men in behalf of a juster social condition; and since it is as clear as the light that the Religion of Christ has led to many of the chief and noblest developments of our modern civilization, it did not appear that Religion any more than Education, Art or Electricity should be excluded from the Columbian Exposition.

But Religion, like the white light of Heaven, has been broken into many-colored fragments by the prisms of men.One of the objects of the Parliament of Religions has been
to change this many-colored radiance back into the white light of heavenly truth.

"Our little systems have their day;
They have their day and cease to be,
They are but broken lights of Thee;
And Thou, O Lord, art more than they."

It early became evident that the Columbian Exposition was to be the most comprehensive and brilliant display of man's material progress which the ages have known. More than fifty nations were soon actively enlisted in the preparations for the great Festival of Peace.

Its approach caused a stir in the studios of Paris and Munich, and on the pasture grounds of far-off Australia, among the Esquimaux of the icy north and the skilled artisans of Delhi and Damascus.

The workshops of Sheffield, Geneva and Moscow, and the marble quarries of Italy, the ostrich farms of Cape Colony and the mines of Brazil, speedily knew of its coming.

And should not man's intellectual and moral progress be adequately set forth amid these material splendors? Why should the ivory hunters in the forests of Africa and the ivory cutters in the thronged cities of Japan and China, the silk weavers of Lyons and the shawl .makers of Cashmere, the designers of Kensington, the lace weavers of Brussels and the Indian tribes of South America, the cannon founders of Germany, the silver miners of Mexico, the ship makers of the Clyde and the canoe builders of the Mackenzie River be invited to a World's Exposition, and the representatives of those higher forces which had made civilization be excluded?

It was objected, by one representative of the Christian faith, that Religion is such in its nature that it cannot be exhibited. But surely, the answer was made, the great part which Religion has had in human history can be impressively told, its achievements can be narrated, its vast influence over art, ethics, education, government, can be set forth, its present condition can be indicated, its wide-reaching missionary activities can be eloquently described, and, perhaps, best of all, the spirit of mutual love, of cosmopolitan fraternity, can be disclosed and largely augmented."

[World's Parliament. -- 1893. -- S. 3f.]

"THE objects proposed for the Parliament of Religions were such, it would seem, as to win the approval of all broad-minded men. They were as follows:

To bring together in conference, for the first time in history, the leading representatives of the great Historic Religions of the world.

To show to men, in the most impressive way, what and how many important truths the various Religions hold and teach in common.

To promote and deepen the spirit of human brotherhood among religious men of diverse faiths, through friendly conference and mutual good understanding, while not seeking to foster the temper of indifferentism, and not striving to achieve any formal and outward unity.

To set forth, by those most competent to speak, what are deemed the important distinctive truths held and taught by each Religion, and by the various chief branches of Christendom.

To indicate the impregnable foundations of Theism, and the reasons for man's faith in Immortality, and thus to unite and strengthen the forces which are adverse to a materialistic philosophy of the universe.

To secure from leading scholars, representing the Brahman, Buddhist, Confucian, Parsee, Mohammedan, Jewish and other Faiths, and from representatives of the various Churches of Christendom, full and accurate statements of the spiritual and other effects of the Religions which they hold upon the Literature, Art, Commerce, Government, Domestic and Social life of the peoples among whom these Faiths have prevailed.

To inquire what light each Religion has afforded, or may afford, to the other Religions of the world.

To set forth, for permanent record to be published to the world, an accurate and authoritative account of the present condition and outlook of Religion among the leading nations of the earth.

To discover, from competent men, what light Religion has to throw on the great problems of the present age, especially the important questions connected with Temperance, Labor, Education, Wealth and Poverty.

To bring the nations of the earth into a more friendly fellowship, in the hope of securing permanent international peace."

"The interest of this long protracted session culminated in the brief closing address of the Buddhist delegate, Mr. H. Dharmapala, of Ceylon. The person and utterance of this speaker made an impression on the assembly that is preserved in a letter published at the time.

" With his black, curly locks thrown back from his broad brow,-his keen, clear eye fixed upon the audieri~~. his long brown fingers emphasizing the utterances of his vibrant voice, he looked the very image of a propagandist, and one trembled to know that such a figure stood at the head of the movement to consolidate all the disciples of Buddha and to spread 'the light of Asia' throughout the civilized world."
(St. Loui's Observer, September 21, 1893.)

SPEECH OF H. DHARMAPALA.

FRIENDS,—I bring to you the good wishes of four hundred and seventy-five millions of Buddhists, the blessings and peace of the religious founder of that system which has prevailed so many centuries in Asia, which has made Asia mild, and which is to-day, in its twenty-fourth century of existence, the prevailing religion of those countries. I have sacrificed the greatest of all work to attend this Parliament; I have left the work of consolidating the different Buddhist countries, which is the most important work in the history of modern Buddhism. When I read the program of this Parliament of Religions I saw it was simply the re-echo of a great consummation which the Indian Buddhists accomplished twenty-four centuries ago.

At that time Asoka, the great emperor, held a council, in the city of Patna, of a thousand scholars, which was in session for seven months. The proceedings were epitomized and
carved on rock and scattered all over the Indian peninsula and the then known globe. After the consummation of that program the great Emperor sent the gentle teachers, the mild disciples of Buddha, in the garb that you see on this platform, to instruct the world. In that plain garb they went across the deep rivers, across the Himalayas, to the plains of Mongolia and of China and to the far-off beautiful isles, the empire of the rising sun ; and the influence
of that congress, held twenty-one centuries ago, is to-day a living power, for you everywhere see mildness in Asia.

Go to any Buddhist country and where do you find such healthy compassion and tolerance as you find there ? Go to Japan, and what do you see ? The noblest lessons of tolerance and gentleness. Go to any of the Buddhist countries and you will see the carrying out of the program adopted at the congress called by the Emperor Asoka.

Why do I come here to-day ? Because I find in this new city, in this land of freedom, the very place where that program can also be carried out. For one year I meditated whether this Parliament would be a success. Then I wrote to Dr. Barrows that this would be the proudest occasion of modern history and the crowning work of nineteen centuries. Yes, friends, if you are serious, if you are unselfish, if you are altruistic, this program can be carried out and the twentieth century will see the teachings of the meek and lowly Jesus accomplished.

I hope in this great city, the youngest of all cities, this program will be carried out, and that the name of Dr. Barrows will shine forth as the American Asoka. And I hope that the noble lessons of tolerance learned in this majestic assembly will result in the dawning of universal peace which will last for twenty centuries more."

At 10 A.M. President Bonney invited the assembly, rising, to invoke, in silence, the blessing of God on the day's proceedings; then, while the assembly remained standing, Chairman BARROWS led in "the Universal Prayer," "Our Father which art in Heaven."

Dr. S.J. NICCOLLS, Pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church of St. Louis, being invited to the chair, made an introductory address.

Papers were presented as follows:

The Rational Demonstration of the Being of God; by the Very Rev. AUGUSTINE F. HEWITT, C.S.P., D.D., of New York, Superior of the Community of Paulists. Read by the Rev. WALTER ELLIOTT of the same order.

The Philosophic and Moral Evidence for the Existence of God; by Rev. ALFRED W. MOMERIE.D.D., London.

The Harmonies and Distinctions in the Theistic Teaching of the Various Historic Faiths; by Prof. M. VALENTINE,
Gettysburg, Pa.

The Theology of Judaism; by Dr. ISAAC M. WISE, Cincinnati.

The Ancient Religion of India and Primitive Revelation; by the Rev. MAURICE PHILLIPS, of
Madras, India.

The AFTERNOON SESSION was presided over by the Rev. JKNKIN LLOYD-JONES, of
Chicago

The Argument for the Divine Being ; Hon. W. T. HARRIS, United States Commissioner of Education.

Idealism the New Religion; by Dr. ADOLPH BRODBECK, of Hannover, Germany.

THE THIRD DAY.— WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13.

Tliis day there were three successive sessions of the Parliament, each one of them characterized by some incident or contribution of peculiar interest. At each session the great hall was crowded to its utmost capacity.

The morning session was presided over by Chairman BARROWS, and began, as on the previous days, with an act of
silent devotion, and with the reciting of the "Universal Prayer " of our Lord,led
by Mr. MOZOOMDAR.

Thrfirst paper of the morning had been looked forward in with
exceptional interest because of the author personally,
and because of what he represented. And when the successor of Ram Mohun Roi and of Chunder Sen came forward to
speak of the Brahmo-Somaj, he was greeted with loud applause.

The Brahmo-Somaj; by P. C. MOZOOMDAR, of Calcutta, India. At the conclusion of this address, the multitude rose to their feet and, led by Theodore F. Seward, sung the hymn, " Nearer, my God, to Thee."

A not less earnest greeting awaited the next speaker, the Most Reverend the Archbishop of Zante in the Ionian Islands, And a not less divine afflatus breathed on all the congregation when the venerable archbishop lifted up his hands and his eyes to heaven, and led all minds and hearts in a fervid prayer to Almighty God.

The Greek Church ; by the Most Reverend DIONYSIOS LATAS, Archbishop of Zante.

Man from a Catholic Point of View; by the Very Reverend THOMAS S. BYRNE, D.D., Cincinnati.

Human Brotherhood as Taught by the Religions Based on the Bible; by Dr. K. KOHLER, of New York. Read by Dr. EMIL G. HIRSCH, of Chicago.

The Chairman of the AFTERNOON SESSION was the Rev. Dr. W. C. ROBERTS of New York, formerly President of the Lake Forest University.
...

In presenting as the first speaker of the afternoon the eminent Chinese Confucian, Pung Kwang Yu, Dr. Barrows, speaking of him as the representative of an empire toward which America had not been just, evoked such a demonstration of the sympathies of the audience as had greeted the same personage on the first day. The outburst of applause continued for several minutes, the Secretary bowing his acknowledgments.

Confucianism; by PUNG KWANG Yu, First Secretary of the Chinese Legation at Washington. Read by Mr. WILLIAM
PIPE

The Real Position of Japan toward Christianity; by KINZA RIUGE M. HIRAI.
This speaker, whose eloquent command of the English language impressed all hearers, seemed at the outset to have some misgivings as to the reception which his message of rebuke of the un-Christian dealing of Christians toward his people would meet with in a Christian audience. His message
was uttered without reserve, and with the utmost boldness and force; and the reception of it was thus described by the next morning's press: "Loud applause followed many of his declarations, and a thousand cries of 'Shame' were heard when he pointed to the wrongs which his countrymen had suffered
through the practices of false Christianity. When he had finished, Dr. Barrows grasped his hand, and the Rev. Jenkin Lloyd-Jones threw his arm around his neck, while the audience cheered vociferously and waved hats and handkerchiefs in the excess of enthusiasm."
[Chicago Herald, September 14]

Shintoism; by the Right Reverend REUCHI SHIBATA, President of the Jikko sect of Shintoism in Japan. Read by Dr. BARROWS.
This paper was followed by a like demonstration of personal interest and good-will toward the author. Many rushed from th- audience to the platform to extend their salutations to the,
Oriental prelate of an unfamiliar religion, while shouts of
sympathetic feeling were heard from all parts of the house.

Concessions to Native Ideas, having Special Reference to Hinduism; by the Rev. T. E. SLATER, Missionary, Bangalore, India. Read by the Rev. FRANK M. BRISTOL, D.D.

EVENING SESSION.

The Supreme End and Office of Religion ; by the Rev. WALTER ELLIOTT, of the Paulist Order, New York.

The Argument for Immortality ; by the Rev. PHILIP MOXOM, D.D., Boston.

The Soul and Its Future Life ; by the Rev. SAMUEL M. WARREN, of Cambridge, Mass.

THE FOURTH DAY.—THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14.

It was on this day that the growing concourse made it necessary to hold overflow meetings, both morning and afternoon, in the Hall of Washington. As soon as the speakers finished their addresses in Columbus Hall, which was again-packed to its utmost limit, they went over to the other hall and read them again to another vast and interested audience.

The meeting .in Columbus Hall was presided over by Dr. BARROWS. At the close of the silent prayer, the " Universal Prayer " was said by Prof. RICKEY of the General Theological Seminary, New York.

The Needs of Humanity Supplied by the Catholic Religion; by JAMES, CARDINAL GIBBONS, Archbishop of Baltimore. Read by the Right Reverend JOHN J. KEANE, D.D., Rector of the Catholic University, Washington, D. C.

Orthodox or Historical Judaism; Its Attitude and Relation to the Past, and its Future; by Rabbi H. PEREIRA MENDES, of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, New York. Read by Mr. WILLIAM PIPE.

The Certainties of Religion; by JOSEPH COOK, of Boston.

The History of Buddhism and its Sects in Japan; by HORIN TOKI. Read by KINZA RIUGE M. HIRAI.

THE FIFTH DAY.—FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15.

At the morning session Dr. BARROWS presided, and after silent devotion, the Lord's Prayer was said by the Rev. GEORGE A. FORD, American missionary to Syria.

What the Dead Religions have Bequeathed to the Living; by Prof. G. S. GOODSPEED, of Chicago University.

The Points of Contact and of Contrast between Christianity and Mohammedanism; by President
GEORGE WASHBURN, D.D., of Robert College, Constantinople

The Study of Comparative Theology; by Prof. C. P. TIELE, of the University of Leyden. Read by the Rev. FRANK M. BRISTOL, D.D., of Chicago.

The next address and speaker were welcomed with more •v°n usual demonstrations of interest and applause.
The Real Religion of To-Day; by Mrs. LAURA ORMISTON CHANT, London.

At the AFTERNOON SESSION, presided over by the Rev. Dr. F. A. NOBLE, the first paper was one of several essays which had come to the Parliament as the result of offers advertised by Dr. Barrows in the Chinese newspapers, proposing a premium in gold for the best essays on Confucianism and Taoism. This fact, announced by the reader, added to the general interest with which this paper was received. Forty-two Chinese scholars had entered into the competition.

Confucianism : a Prize Essay ; by KUNG HSIEN Ho of Shanghai, China. Translated by the Rev. TIMOTHY RICHARD, of the English Baptist Mission in China. Read by Mr. WILLIAM PIPE.

The Comparative Study of the World's Religions ; by MONSIGNOR C. D'HARLEZ, Professor in the University of Louvain, Belgium. Read by the Rev. D. J. RIORDAN.

The Importance of a Serious Study of all Religions ; by Mrs. ELIZA R. SUNDERLAND, Ph.D., of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Just before the close of the afternoon session, the Chairman invited some remarks from the Hindu monk SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, of Bombay, who responded with a little fable intended to illustrate the variance among men of different races and religions.
The frog lived in a well. It had lived there for a long time. It was born there and brought up there, and yet was a little, small frog. Of course the evolutionists were not there then to tell us whether the frog lost its eyes or not; but, for our story's sake, we must take it for granted that it had its eyes, and that it every day cleansed the water of all the worms and bacilli that lived in it, with an energy that would give credit to our modern bacteriologists. In this way it went on and became a little sleek and fat
— perhaps as much so as myself.
Well, one day another frog, that lived in the sea, came and fell into
the well.
"Whence are you from ?"
" I'm from the sea."
"The sea ? how big is that ? Is it as big as my well ?" and he took a leap from one side of the well to the other.
" My friend," says the frog of the sea, " how do you compare the sea with your little well ? "
Then the frog took another leap, and asked : " Is your sea so big ? "
" What nonsense you speak, to compare the sea with your well! "
" Well, then," said the frog of the well, " nothing can be bigger than
my well; there can be nothing bigger than this ; this fellow is a liar, so turn him out."
That has been the difficulty all the while.

The proceedings of this crowded day concluded with an EVENING SESSION, at which, by a coincidence unusual enough on our republican soil, the audience listened to discourses from men of the highest title and rank in their own countries.

The Social Office of Religions Feeling; by Prince SERGE WOLKONSKY, of Russia.

The Buddhism of Siam; by His Royal Highness Prince CHANDRADAT CHUDHADHARN, brother of the King of Siam. Read by Mr. WILLIAM PIPE, and prefaced by a short introductory by the Hon. PHRA SURIYA, Royal Siamese Commissioner to the World's Columbian Exposition.

THE SIXTH DAY.—SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16.

At the morning session of this very memorable day the chair was taken by Chairman BARROWS, and the moments of silent prayer were followed by the Lord's Prayer, said by Bishop KEANE.

No small feeling was aroused by a telegram from the Brahmo-Somaj, of Calcutta, sending its benediction and godspeed to the Parliament. There were resounding cheers from the audience, and expressions of grateful acknowledgment from some of the Hindus on the platform. Mr. MOZOOMDAR arose and said : " It delights my heart to see the spontaneous response to the message which my fellow-believers have sent this vast distance. I feel now, more than I have ever felt, that India and America are as one in the Spirit of the God of all nations." The speaker sat down overcome with emotion.

The leading theme of the day was to be The Scriptures of the World, and the strongly representative character of some of the speakers and their contrasted views gave peculiar interest to the course of discussion.

The Truthfulness of Holy Scripture; by Professor CHARLES A. BRIGGS, D.p., of New York.

The Catholic Church and the Bible; by the Right Reverend Monsignor SETON, of Newark, N. J.

The Greatness and Influence of Moses; by Rabbi GOTTHEIL, of New York.

Christianity as Interpreted by Literature, by Dr. THEODORE T. HUNGER, of New Haven, Conn. Read by Dr. BARROWS.

The Sacred Books of the World.as Literature; by Prof. MILTON S. TERRY, of The Northwestern University, Evanston,
Ill.

The Outlook of Judaism; by Miss JOSEPHINE LAZARUS, of New York. Read by Mrs. MAX LEOPOLD, of Chicago.

Buddhism; by BANRIU YATSUBUCHI, of Japan. Read by Mr. NOGUCHI.

The Influence of the Hebrew Scriptures ; by Dr. ALEXANDER KOHUT, of New York. Read by Rabbi JOSEPH STOLZ, of Chicago.

The Character and Degree of the Inspiration of the Christian Scriptures ; by the Rev. FRANK SEWALL, of Washington, D. C.

THE SEVENTH DAY.—SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17.

On this day the morning session of the Parliament was omitted, and sessions were held in afternoon and evening.

THE AFTERNOON SESSION.

The chair was taken by Chairman BARROWS, and after the customary act of silent prayer and the saying of the Lord's Prayer, the proceedings of the Parliament were entered on. With the exception of Mr. Nagarkar, of the Brahmo-Somaj, the speakers were representatives of Christendom, and by a striking coincidence and contrast, mainly of those two divisions of Christendom whose mutual relations in past generations have been the most unsympathetic
— Presbyterianism and Catholicism.

The Catholic Church and the Marriage Bond; by Prof. MARTIN J. WADE, of the Law Department of the State
Universitv of Iowa.

The Influence of Religion on Women; by the Rev. ANNIS F. EASTMAN, Cleveland.

The Work of Social Reform in India; by Mr. B. B. NAGARKAR, Calcutta, India.

It was at the evening session in Columbus Hall that the incident (we will not say accident) occurred, which disturbed the preconcerted order of proceedings, and furnished so striking a demonstration of the genuine spirit of brotherly kindness that pervaded the assembly. Before the conclusion of the reading, by the Rev. Dr. Mullany, of the posthumous paper by Brother Azarias, Bishop Keane in the chair, it was discovered that the other speakers announced for the evening had not arrived, and the Presbyterian Congress, which was then in session in Hall No. 3, was invited to complete its evening exercises in the Hall of the Parliament. At this curiously mingled meeting Bishop Keane and Dr. Barrows alternately presided. Eminent dignitaries of the Catholic Church were sympathetic attendants on a Presbyterian Denominational Congress ; and lookers-on were at a loss which most to admire, the exquisite felicity and taste with which the speakers met the unexpected occasion, or the cordial appreciation and applause of their unwonted auditors.

The Religious Training of Children ; prepared for the Parliament by the late Brother AZARIAS. Read by his.brother, Rev. JOHN F. MULLANY, Syracuse, N. Y.

The papers presented by members of the Presbyterian Congress were the following:

The Parliament was called to order by Dr. BARROWS, and opened with the usual act of worship. The Lord's Prayer was repeated by the Rev. FRANK M. BRISTOL, D.D., of Chicago.

It is no reflection on the other papers presented in the course of this day, to say that none of them surpassed in the
interest which they stirred in the hearers and the strong response which they drew forth
— the papers of Col. T. W. Higginson, Bishop Dudley, and Prof. J. Estlin Carpenter of Oxford,
England, — although the last-mentioned lacked the advantage of the author's own voice and presence.

The Sympathy of Religions; by Col. THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON, of Cambridge, Mass.

The Historic Christ; by the Right Reverend T. U. DUDLEY, Bishop of Kentucky.

A New Testament Woman, or What Did Phoebe Do? by Rev. MARION MURDOCK, of Cleveland.

The Law of Cause and Effect as Taught by Buddha; by SHAKU SOYEN of Japan. Read by Dr. BARROWS.

AT THE AFTERNOON SESSION.

Christianity an Historical Religion; by Prof. GEORGE PARK FISHER, D.D., of Yale University. Read by Prof. GOODSPEED, of Chicago.

The Need of a Wider Conception of Revelation; by Prof. J. ESTLIN CARPENTER, of Oxford University. Read by the Rev. Mr. RUBINKAM, of Chicago. ,

Christ the Reason of the Universe; by the Rev. J. W. LEE, of Atlanta, Georgia.

The World's Debt to Buddha; by H. DHARMAPALA, of Ceylon.
The interest which this paper aroused was doubtless enhanced by the presence, beside the speaker, of a small stone figure of Buddha, said by him to be nineteen centuries old. The conclusion of the paper was deferred until a later session.

AT THE EVENING SESSION.

The Incarnation Idea in History and in Jesus Christ; by the Right Rev. JOHN J. KEANE, D.D., of Washington, D. C.

The Incarnation of God in Christ; by the Rev. JULIAN K. SMYTH, of Boston Highlands.

Orthodox Southern Buddhism; by the Right Rev. H.
SUMANGALA (Chief Monk of the Southern Buddhist Church of Ceylon.) Read by Mr. DHARMAPALA.

The Religious System of the Parsees; by JINANJI JAMSHEDJI MODI, of Bombay. Read by Miss SORABJI.

THE NINTH DAY.—TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19.

On this day of exceptional interest the silence of the morning devotions was broken by the saying of the Lord's Prayer by the Rev. Dr. BRAND, of Oberlin, Ohio.

Two of the papers presented to the Parliament this day were in the form of letters addressed to Chairman BARROWS, and read by him to the audience.

Hopes of a United Humanity; letter from Lady HENRY SOMERSET. Read by Dr. BARROWS.

The Greek Philosophy and the Christian Religion; by Prof. MAX MULLER, of Oxford University. Read by Dr. BARROWS.

Man's Place in the Universe; by Prof. A. B. BRUCE, of the Free College, Glasgow. Read by the Rev. Dr. S. J.
McPHERSON, of Chicago.

Religio Scientiae; by Sir WILLIAM DAWSON, of Montreal. Read by Mr. WILLIAM PIPE.

Music, Emotion and Morals; by the Rev. H. R. HAWEIS, of London, England.

AT THE AFTERNOON SESSION

The Rev. Dr. F. A. NOBLE in the chair.

Man in the Light of Science and Religion; by Prof. THOMAS DWIGHT, of Harvard University. Read by Bishop KEANE.

What Constitutes a Religious as Distinguished from a Moral Life; by President SYLVESTER F. SCOVEL, of Wooster University, Ohio.

How can Philosophy give Aid to the Science of Religion ? by Professor J. P. LANDIS, Ph.D., of Union Theological Seminary Dayton, Ohio.

Hinduism; by SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, of Bombay.

The EVENING SESSION was presided over by the Rev. Dr. A. H. LEWIS, of Plainfield, New Jersey.

The first of the evening's proceedings was the conclusion of the paper on Buddhism by Mr. H. DHARMAPALA which had been begun the day before.

The Relation of Natural and Other Sciences to Religion; by Dr. PAUL CARUS, of Chicago.

The History and Prospects of Exploration in Bible Lands; by Dr. GEORGE E. POST, Beirut, Syria.

THE TENTH DAY.—WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20.

After the Parliament had been called to order by Dr. BARROWS and after silent devotion and the reciting of the Lord's Prayer by Rev. Dr. McGiLVARY, of the Laos, Siam, a brief address was made by the Rev. HENRY M. FIELD, D.D., of New York, editor of The New York Evangelist, a representative Presbyterian journal, who said :
...

Christian Evangelization as One of the Working Forces of Our American Christianity; by the Rev. JAMES BRAND, D.D., of Oberlin, Ohio.

The Religious State of Germany; by Count A. BERNSTORFF, of Berlin.

The Spirit of Islam; by MOHAMMED ALEXANDER RUSSELL WEBB.
The reading of this paper was an exceptional event in the proceedings of the Parliament, for the fact that it was attended with strong and even violent and impatient expressions of disapproval
on - the part of the hearers. At the outset of the paper (which may be found in full in its place in Part III.), these demonstrations, in the form of hisses and cries of "Shame!" were so emphatic that the speaker seemed deterred from pursuing the line of discourse on which he had entered.
Concerning this solitary incident of the kind in the whole seventeen days, three remarks require to be made:
1. It was a sudden, unpremeditated outburst of feeling, which the conductors of the Parliament exerted themselves not in vain to repress.
2. It was occasioned, not by any doctrinal statement, but by what was taken for an attack on a fundamental principle of social morality.
3. As soon as the speaker turned from this to a more appropriate line of discourse, he was heard with patient attention and even with applause.

Christ the Saviour of the World; by the Rev. B. FAY MILLS, of Rhode Island.
This paper was listened to with manifestations of the profoundest interest and satisfaction on the part of the assembly.

At the AFTERNOON SESSION the Rev. Dr. CARLOS MARTYN, of Chicago, presided.

The Essential Oneness of Ethical Ideas Among All Men ; by the Rev. IDA C. HULTIN, of Moline,
Ill.

Music and Religion ; by Prof. WALDO S. PRATT, of Hartford Theological Seminary.

At the close of Prof. Pratt's paper two Armenians from Turkey, the Rev. A. Marderos Ignados, of Smyrna, as representing the Protestant Armenians, and Mr. Herant N.
Kiretchjian, of Constantinople, as representing the Young Men of the Orient, were introduced by the Chairman and made brief and interesting addresses.

The Relation Between Religion and Conduct; by Prof. C. H. TOY, of Harvard University.

Christianity in Japan ; its Present Condition and Future Prospects; by President HORIUCHI KOZAKI, of the Doshisha University.

The EVENING SESSION was presided over by the Rev. Dr. ALFRED WILLIAMS MOMERIE, of London.

The Restoration of Sinful Man through Christ; by the Rev. D. J. KENNEDY, O.S.P., of Somerset, Ohio.

Religion in Peking; by Professor ISAAC T. HEADLAND, of Peking University. Read by Mr. WILLIAM PIPE.

The session was concluded by a brief speech from SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, who said:
Christians must always be ready for good criticism, and I hardly think that you will care if I make a little criticism. You Christians who are so fond of sending out missionaries to save the souls of the heathen, why do
you not try to save" their bodies from starvation ? In India during the terrible famines thousands died from hunger, yet you Christians did nothing. You erect churches all through India, but the crying evil in the East is not religion—they have religion enough—but it is bread that these suffering millions of burning India cry out for with parched throats. They ask us for bread, but we give them stones. It is an insult to a starving people to offer them religion ; it is an insult to a starving man to teach him metaphysics. In India a priest that preached for money would lose caste, and be spat upon by the people. I came here to seek aid for my impoverished people, and I fully realized how difficult it was to get help for heathens from Christians in a Christian land.
He concluded his speech by a few remarks on the Hindu doctrine of reincarnation.

THE ELEVENTH DAY.—THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21.

The chair was occupied by Dr. BARROWS, the silent prayer was offered, and the Lord's Prayer was said by the Rev. Dr. PENTECOST.

The Chairman made several communications to the Parliament, as follows :

COMMITTEES ON REPRESENTATIVE BOOKS. ...

A LETTER ON BEHALF OF THE ARMENIANS ...

A SOCIETY FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE BUDDHIST HOLY
PLACES.

SHIBA PARK, Tokyo, August, 1893.

To THE REV. JOHN HENRY BARROWS, D.D.— Dear Sir: I do not believe it totally uninteresting to give here a short account of our Indo
Busseki Kofuku Society of Japan.

The object of this society is to restore and reestablish the holy places of Buddhism in India, and to send out a certain number of Japanese priests to perform devotional exercises in each of them, and promote the convenience of pilgrims from Japan. These holy places are Buddha Gaya, where
Buddha attained to the perfect enlightenment; Kapilavastu, where Buddha
was born ; the Deer Park, where Buddha first preached, and Kusinagara, where Buddha entered Nirvana.

Two thousand nine hundred and twenty years ago—that is, 1,026 years before Christ—the world-honored Prince Siddharta was born in the palace of his father, King Suddhodana, in Kapilavastu, the capital of the Kingdom Magadha. When he was 19 years old he began to lament men's inevitable subjection to the various sufferings of sickness, old age, and death; and, discarding all his precious possessions and the heirship to the kingdom, he went into a mountain jungle to seek by meditation and asceticism the way of escape from these sufferings. After spending six years there, and finding that the way he seeks after was not in asceticism, he went out from there and retired under the Bodhi tree of Buddha Gaya, where at last, by profound meditation, he attained the supreme wisdom and became Buddha.

The light of truth and mercy began to shine from him over the whole world, and the way of perfect emancipation was open for all human beings, so that every one can bathe in his blessings and walk in the way of enlightenment.
When the ancient King Asoka, of Magadha, was converted to Buddhism he erected a large and magnificent temple over the spot to show his gratitude to the founder of his new religion. But, sad to say, the fierce Mohammedans invaded and laid waste the country, there being no Buddhist to guard the temple, which possession fell into the hands of a Brahminist priest, who chanced to come here and seize it.

It was early in the spring of 1891 that the Japanese priest, the Rev. Shaku Kionen, in company with Mr. H. Dharmapala, of Ceylon, visited this holy ground. The great Buddha Gaya Temple was carefully repaired and restored to its former state by the British Government; but they could not help being very much grieved to see it subjected to much desecration in the hands of the Brahminist Mahant, and communicated to us their earnest desire to rescue it.
With warm sympathy for them, and thinking, as Sir Edwin Arnold said, that it is not right for Buddhists to leave the guardianship of the holy center of Buddhist Religion of Grace to the hand of a Brahminist priest, we organized this Indo Busseki Kofuku Society in Japan to accomplish the object before mentioned in cooperation with the Maha-Bodhi Society, organized by H. Dharmapala and other brothers in India. These are the outlines of the origin and object of our Indo Busseki Kofuku Society, and I believe our Buddha Gaya movement will bring people of all Buddhist countries into closer connection and be instrumental in promoting the brotherhood among the people of the whole world.

S. HORIUCHI, Secretary,

Mr. THEODORE F. SEWARD, representing The Brotherhood of Christian Unity, briefly stating the character and method of that fraternity, presented to the Parliament the following letter," already signed by many leading members, and invited the signatures of others:
...

A Turning-Point in the History of the Parliament, was announced in a speech by Col. T. W. HIGGINSON, of Boston.
Before the regular course of business was resumed, Col. Higginson was granted the freedom of the platform, and spoke as follows:
.

" I am sorry," remarked Dr. Barrows, " that Col. Higgin-son has ended his beautiful address with a word of skepticism. I believe what has been done once can be done' again."

Christianity and the Social Question ; by Prof. FRANCIS G. PEABODY, of Harvard University.

Religion and the Erring and Criminal Classes ; by the Rev. ANNA GARLAND SPENCER, of Providence, R. I.

The Relation of the Roman Catholic Church to the Poor and Destitute ; by CHARLES F. DONNELLY, of Boston. Read by Bishop KEANE, of Washington.

The Women of India ; by Miss JEANNE SORABJI, of Bombay.

Buddha ; by the Right Reverand ZITSUZEN ASHITZU, of Japan.

At the AFTERNOON SESSION the Chair was occupied by the Rev. Dr. EMIL G. HIRSCH.

Islam and Social Conditions; by MOHAMMED ALEXANDER RUSSELL WEBB.
Mr. WEBB was received by the audience, on this occasion, with some slight expressions of applause.

What Judaism Has Done for Women ; by Miss HENRIETTA SZOLD, of New York.

Christianity as a Social Force ; by Prof. RICHARD T. ELY, of the School of Economics, Political Science and History in the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Individual Efforts at Reform not Sufficient; bv Prof. C. R. HENDERSON, of the University of Chicago.

AT THE EVENING SESSION.

Religion and Labor; by the Rev. JAMES M. CLEARY, of the Church of St. Charles Borromeo, Minneapolis.

The Salvation Army ; by Brigadier General FIELDING.

This EVENING SESSION will long be remembered by those present for the storm of rain that drove into the building until many were fain to protect themselves with umbrellas, and beat upon the roof with such a roar as sometimes to drown the voices of the speakers.

At the close of the address of General Fielding (who took the platform in the absence of Commander Ballington Booth), a Brahman, a member of the School of Philosophy at Madras, Mr. NARA SIMA SATSUMCHYRA, was introduced, and began his brief address by referring with high respect to the work of the Salvation Army in India as more effective than that of any of the churches.
He concluded thus :

Our friends of the Brahmo-Somaj have been picturing to you Christianity standing with the Bible in one hand and the wizard's wand of civilization in the other. But there is another side, and that is the goddess of civilization with a bottle of rum in her hand. O that the English had never set foot in India ! O that we had never seen a single European face ! O that we had never tasted the bitter sweets of your civilization, rather than it should make us a nation of drunkards and brutes!

THE TWELFTH DAY.— FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22.

On this day the crowds in the Hall of Columbus were, if possible, more dense than on any previous day. If the public had got the impression that the proceedings were to be of very great interest and practical value, they were not destined to be disappointed. The comparison of views between Christian missionaries and the representatives of the systems of heathenism, in the forum of a Christian public, was a thing without precedent in the history of missions, and a thing of inestimable value.
...

The exercises of the morning, which were marked by great interest, then began with silent devotion and the recital of the Lord's Prayer by the venerable Dr. PHILIP SCHAFF.
...

Unity and Christian Science ; by Mrs. MARY B. G. EDDY. Read by Judge J. S. HANNA, Boston.
The reading of this paper had been eagerly awaited by large numbers in the audience, and was listened to with much attention.

The Religion of the North American Indians; by Miss ALICE C. FLETCHER, Harvard University.

AT THE AFTERNOON SESSION.

The Church and City Problems; by Prof. ALBION W. SMALL, of the University of Chicago.

The World's Religious Debt to Asia; by P. C. MOZOOMDAR, of the Brahmo-Somaj, Bombay.

How Can the Methods of Christian Missionaries be Improved? discussed
by H. DHARMAPALA, Ceylon; Rev. GEORGE T. CANDLIN. Tien-tsin, China; NARA SIMA CHARYAR, Madras; Rev. R. E. HUME, Bombay, India ; Rev. Dr. GEORGE E. POST, Beirut, Syria; Rev. Mr. HAWORTH, Japan.
In this memorable discussion the brief address of Dr. Post had an important significance by its unmistakable though not express bearing on two points in the defense of Mohammedanism, by Mr. Mohammed Webb, against the reproach of polygamy and of wars of propagandism. Dr. POST stepped forward, bearing aloft a copy of the Koran, of which he said:
I hold in my hand a book which is never touched by 200,000,000 of the human race with unwashed hands, a book which is never carried below the waist, a book which is never laid upon the floor, a book every word of which to these 200,000,000 of the human race is considered the direct word of God which came down from heaven. And I propose, without note or comment, to read to you a few words from this sacred book, and you may make your own comments upon them afterwards.
He proceeded to read from chapters 66, 2, 25, 48, instructions to propagate the religion by the sword, and from chapter 4 and elsewhere the commendation of polygamy.

Rev. E. C. HAWORTH was introduced, and spoke on the missionary problems presented in Japan.

THE THIRTEENS DAY. -- SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23.

After the assembly had been led in the Lord's Prayer by the Rev. Dr. WALTER M. BARROWS, of Rockford, Chairman of the Congress of Missions, a letter was read from the Metropolitan of Athens, expressing his sympathy with the aims of the Parliament.

The Hon. JOHN W. HOYT, of Washington, followed-*with a brief speech expressing the same sentiment.

The Grounds of Sympathy and Fraternity Among Religious Men ; by AARON M. POWELL, of the Society of Friends, New York.

The Essence of Religion in Right Conduct; by Dr. ALFRED WILLIAMS MOMERIE, of London.
The Religious Mission of the Colored Race ; by Mrs. FANNY BARRIER WILLIAMS, of Chicago.

The Catholic View of International Arbitration; by Prof. THOMAS J. SEMMES, of the Law Department of Louisiana University.

Fallacies About the Jews ; by Rabbi JOSEPH SILVERMAN, New York.

THE AFTERNOON SESSION

The Rev. L. C. MERCER in the chair.

The Religious Mission of the English-speaking Nations ; by the Rev. Dr. HENRY H. JESUP, of Beirut, Syria. Read by the Rev. GEORGE A. FORD, of Syria.

The Spirit and Mission of the Apostolic Church of Armenia; by the Rev. OHANNES CHATSCHUMYAN.

The History and Work of the Orthodox Greek Church; by the Rev. P. PHIAMBOLIS, Greek pastor in Chicago.

International Justice and Amity; by the Rev. Dr. S. L. BALDWIN, of New York, formerly missionary in China.

Universal Brotherhood; by Prince SERGE WOLKONSKY, of St. Petersburgh.

THE EVENING SESSION.

Rabbi Dr. HIRSCH, of Chicago, presided. In taking the chair he remarked:
To-night we must do things by proxy. The chairman is not here. I act as his substitute. Most of the authors of the papers that are to be read to-night are not with us, and they will be represented by proxy. We have, however, the Archbishop of Zante with us, and he will read a brief protest against a certain superstition prevalent in the East.

His Grace the Archbishop, coming forward, spoke with great emphasis as follows :
MOST HONORABLE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,—I am not a Jew. I am a Christian, a profound believer of the truth of the gospel. [Applause,] I am always bound to defend the truth, and for this reason I present a paper here to-night.
He then handed to Mr. SNELL, to be read to the assembly, the following most honorable and Christian protest against a prevalent calumny upon the Jews in Europe and the East:
In the East the belief is current among the ignorant masses of the population that the Jews use for purposes of religious rites the blood of Christian children, and in order to procure such blood do not shrink from committing murder. In consequence of this belief, outbreaks against the Jews are frequent, and innocent victims are subjected to many indignities and exposed to great danger. In view of the fact that such erroneous ideas are also current among the ignorant of other countries, and that during the last decade both Germany and Austria were the scenes of trials of innocent Jews under the accusation of having committed such ritual murder, I, as a Christian minister, ask this Congress to ecord our conviction that Judaism forbids murder of any kind, and that none of its sacred authorities and books command or permit murder, or the use of human blood for ritual practices or religious ceremonies. The circulation of such sla-nder against the adherents of a monotheistic faith is un-Christian. The origin of the calumny must be traced to the Roman conceit that early Christians used human blood in their religious observances. It is not consonant with Christian duty to allow this horrible charge to go unrebuked.'and it is in the interest of Christianity's good repute that I ask this Parliament to declare that Judaism and the Jews are innocent of the imputed crime as were the Christians of the first century.

International Obligations to China; by President W. A. P. MARTIN, of the Imperial College of Peking.

The Koran and other Sacred Scriptures; by J. SANNA ABOU NADDARA, of Paris. Read by Mr. SNELL.

Women and the Pulpit; by the Rev. Mrs. ANTOINETTE BROWN BLACKWELL, of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Read by the Rev. Dr. AUGUSTA J. CHAPIN, of Chicago.

The Voice of the Mother of Religions on Social Questions; by RABBI H. BERKOWITZ, of New York, Read by Dr. JOSEPH STOLTZ, of Chicago.

THE FOURTEENTH DAY.— SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24. AFTERNOON SESSION.

The assembly were led in the Lord's Prayer by the Rev. GEORGE J. LEMMON, of Schaghticoke, N. Y.

The Relation of Christianity to America; by the Rev. Professor THOMAS O'GORMAN, of the Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C.

What Religion has Wrought for America; by the Rev. Dr. DAVID JAMES BURRELL, of New York.

EVENING SESSION.

The Present Religious Condition of America; by the Rev. Dr. H. K. CARROLL, of New York.

The Invincible Gospel; by the Rev. GEORGE F. PENTECOST, of London.
The argument of this paper was the ultimate triumph of Christianity as assured by its essential superiority to all other religions. Certain impromptu remarks interjected between the lines of the paper drew forth a reply on the following day. He was reported by the press as saying:
Some of the Brahmans' of India have been here and have dared to make an attack upon Christianity. They take the slums of New York and Chicago and ask us why we do not cure ourselves. They take what is outside the pale of Christianity and judge Christianity by it.
Proceeding then to attack the religious systems of India on the point of morality, he alleged that among the followers of Brahmanism there were thousands of temples in which there were hundreds of priestesses who were known as immoral and profligate. They were prostitutes because they were priestesses, and priestesses because they were prostitutes.
The mention of this incident is necessary to the understanding of the reply which followed it at a later hour.
The incident was of value as giving the general Christian public the opportunity of hearing, at first hand, from the lips of a native of India, the defense which Hinduism has to make acainst a reproach universally circulated and believed. The willingness of the assembly to hear patiently and judge fairly
was unmistakably expressed.

THE FIFTEENTH DAY.—MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25.

The Lord's Prayer was repeated by the Rev. GILBERT REED, of China.

The Friendship of the Faiths ; Poem, by L. J. BLOCK, of Chicago. Read by Mrs. LINDEN W. BATES.

The Relations between the Anglican Church and the Church of the First Ages ; by the Rev. Prof. THOMAS RICKEY, General Theological Seminary, New York.

The Bearing of Religious Unity on the Work of Missions ; by the Rev. GEORGE T. CANDLIN of Tien-tsin, West China.
Mr. Candlin delivered his address clothed in Chinese costume. The interest felt and manifested during the delivery of the paper was intense. And at the close of it occurred one of the memorable scenes of the Parliament. Almost the whole audience rose cheering and waving handkerchiefs; and among many others
Mr. Dharmapala grasped the hand of the speaker and thanked him for his noble address.

The Reunion of Christendom ; by the Rev. PHILIP SCHAFF, D.D., LL.D., Professor in Union Theological Seminary, New York. Read by the Rev. Dr. MCPHERSON, of Chicago.

Interdenominational Comity ; by the Rev. D. L. WHITMAN, President of Colby University.

THE AFTERNOON SESSION.

Dr. F. A. NOBLE, of Chicago, in the Chair.

The Persistence of Bible Orthodoxy; by Prof. LUTHER F. TOWNSEND, of Boston.

The History and Tenets of the Jains of India; by VIRCHAND A. GANDHI, Bombay.
Mr. Gandhi prefaced his paper 'with remarks in reference to the allegations of the previous day against the morality of the Hindu religions. He said :

I am glad that no one has dared to attack the religion I represent. It is well they should not. But every attack has been directed to the abuses existing in our society. And I repeat now, what I repeat every day, that these abuses are not from religion but in spite of religion, as in every other country. Some men in their ambition think that they are Pauls, and what they think they believe, and where should these new Pauls go to
vent their platitudes but India? Yes, sir, they go to India to convert the heathen in a mass, but when they find their dreams melting away, as dreams always do, they return back to pass a whole life in abusing the Hindu., Abuses are not arguments against any religion, nor self-adulation the proof of the
truth of one's own. For such I have the greatest pity. There are a few Hindu temples in Southern India where women singers are employed to sing on certain occasions. Some of them are of dubious character, and the Hindu society feels it and is trying its best to remove the evil. These women are never allowed to enter the main body of the temple, and as for their being priestesses, there is not one woman priest from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin.
If the present abuses in India have been produced by the Hindu religion, the same religion had the strength of producing a society which made the Greek historian say, "No Hindu was ever known to tell an untruth, no Hindu woman ever known to be unchaste." And even in the present day, where is the chaster woman or milder man than in India?

In the last place, I am very, very sorry for those who criticise the great ones of India, and my only consolation is that all their information about them has come from third-hand, fourth-hand sources, percolating through layers of superstition and bigotry. To those who find in the refusal of the Hindu to criticise the character of Jesus a tacit acceptation of the superiority of the fanatical nil-admirari cult they represent, I am tempted to quote the old fable of
Aesop and tell them "Not to you I bend the knee but to the image you are carrying on your back" ; and to point out to them one page from the life of the great Emperor Akbar.

A certain ship full of Mohammedan pilgrims was going to Mecca. On its way a Portuguese vessel captured it. Amongst the booty were some copies of the Koran. The Portuguese hanged these copies of the Koran round the necks of dogs and paraded these dogs through the streets of Ormuz. It happened that this very Portuguese ship was captured by the Emperor's men, and in it were found some copies of the Bible.

The love of Akbar for his mother is well known, and his mother was a zealous Mohammedan. It pained her very much to hear of the treatment of the sacred book of the Mohammedans in the hands of Christians, and she wished that Akbar would do the same with the Bible. But this great man replied : " Mother, these ignorant men do not know the value of the Koran, and they treated it in a manner which is the outcome of ignorance. But I know the glory of the Koran and the Bible both, and I cannot debase myself in the way they did."

Mr. Gandhi's remarks were followed by expressions of sympathy from among the audience.

The Free Baptist Church; by the Rev. J. A. HOWE, Lewiston, Maine.

The Spiritual Ideas of the JBrahmo-Somaj; by Mr. B. B. NAGARKAR, Bombay.

THE EVENING SESSION.

REV. AUGUSTA J. CHAPIN in the Chair.

A White Life for Two; by Miss FRANCES E. WILLARD. Read by MR. WILLIAM PIPE.

The Hall of Columbus was not adequate for the throngs who sought admission. Dr. BARROWS presided.

The chairman read the following poem contributed by LAURA ORMISTON CHANT :
...

Dr. F. A. NOBLE read a list of the hundred best books recommended by the Protestant Evangelical Committee; after
which proceedings of the Parliament were continued in the tollowing order:

The Baptists in History; by Rev. GEORGE C. LORIMER, D.D., of Boston

The Ultimate Religion; by Bishop JOHN J. KEANE, of Washington

Christ, the Unifier of Mankind; by Rev. GEORGE DANA
BOARDMAN, of Philadelphia

SCIENTIFIC SECTION

Parallel with the meetings in the Hall of Columbus, were sessions in Hall III, where papers of a more scientific and less popular character were read. These papers were often followed by free conferences over the topics treated.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 10 A.M.

The Practical Service of the Science of Religions to the Cause of Religious Unity and to Missionary Enterprise; by the Chairman, Mr. MERWIN-MARIE SNELL.

"As the World's Parliament of Religions was to meet at Chicago in the
following September, and as it had been arranged that our Society should
participate in it, I deputed the Vice-President, Mr. Judge, to represent me
officially, and appointed Mrs. Besant special delegate to speak there on
behalf of the whole Society. How great a success it was for us and how
powerfully it stimulated public interest in our views will be recollected by
all our older members. Theosophy was presented most thoroughly both before
the whole Parliament, an audience of 3,000 people, and at meetings of our
own for the holding of which special halls were kindly given us. A profound
impression was created by the discourses of Professor G. N. Chakravarti and
Mrs. Besant, who is said to have risen to unusual heights of eloquence, so
exhilarating were the influences of the gathering. Besides these who
represented our Society especially, Messrs. Vivekananda, V. R. Gandhi,
Dharmapala, representatives of the Hindu Vedanta, Jainism, and Buddhism
respectively, captivated the public, who had only heard of the Indian people
through the malicious reports of interested missionaries, and were now
astounded to see before them and hear men who represented the ideal of
spirituality and human perfectibility as taught in their respective sacred
writings.

Said one Chicago editor:

"We have been for years spending millions of dollars in sending
missionaries to convert these men, and have had very little success; they
have sent over a few men, and have converted everybody."

From a report which Mrs. Besant made to a London paper I cite the
following concluding paragraph:

"The Theosophical Congress, as said one of the leading Chicago papers,
was a rival of the Parliament itself in the interest it excited. The plan
of the Department of Religion was a good one. Each body strong enough to
hold one, had a congress of its own on one or more days, fixed by the
committee; in addition to this, chosen speakers occupied one session in
presenting the views of their body to the Parliament. The Theosophical
Society was given two days for its congress, the evening of the second day
being devoted to the presentation of Theosophy before the Parliament. The
hall originally granted to it seated about 300 people, but it was so
densely packed before the first meeting opened, that the managers gave us
another hall seating about 1,200. This was promptly filled, and at each
succeeding session the crowds grew, filling passages and packing every
inch of room, until at our fifth session two adjoining halls were offered
us, and we held two overflow meetings in addition to our regular session.
The sixth session was the presentation of Theosophy to the Parliament, and
some 3,000 people gathered in a huge hall. So intense was the interest
shown that the management most generously offered us the use of the great
hall for an additional meeting on the following night, and it was packed
with eager listeners. In addition to the Indian and Sinhalese delegates
above named, the Theosophical Society sent from its European Section Annie
Bcsant, Miss F. H. Müllcr, and Mrs. Cooper-Oakley; the American Section
was represented by its General Secretary, Wm. Q, Judge, Dr. Jerome
Anderson of San Francisco, Mr. George E. Wright and Mrs. Thirds, of
Chicago, and Claude F. Wright of New York; the Australasian Branches
delegated Mrs. Cooper-Oakley, who had been working among them for ten
months, and who came direct from Australia to Chicago. Between the
interest excited by the speakers and the far deeper interest excited by
the subjects dealt with, the meetings were rendered thus successful.""

"The interest which this paper aroused was doubtless enhanced by the presence, beside the speaker, of a small stone figure of Buddha, said by him to be nineteen centuries old."
Das Paper war aber zu lang und der Vortrag musste abgebrochen und der Abschluss
auf den neunten Tag verschoben werden.

Ancient India, twenty-five centuries ago,
was the scene of a religious revolution, the greatest the world has ever
seen. Indian society at this time had two large and distinguished
religious foundations—the Sramanas and the Brahmanas. Famous teachers
arose and with their disciples went among the people preaching and
converting them to their respective views. The air was full of a coming
spiritual struggle, hundreds of the most scholarly young men of noble
families (Kulaputta) leaving their homes in quest of truth, ascetics
undergoing the severest mortifications to discover a panacea for the evils
of suffering, young dialecticians wandering from place to place engaged in
disputations, some advocating scepticism as the best weapon to fight
against the realistic doctrines of the day, some a life of pessimism as
the nearest way to get rid of existence, some denying a future life. It
was a time of deep and many-sided intellectual movements, which extended
from the circles of Brahmanical thinkers far into the people at large. The
sacrificial priest was powerful then as he is now. Hie was the mediator
between God and man. Monotheism of the most crude type, from fetich-ism
and animism and anthropomorphic deism to transcendental dualism, was
rampant. So was materialism, from sexual Epicureanism to transcendental
Nihilism. In the words of Dr. Oldenberg, " When dialectic scepticism began
to attack moral ideas, when a painful longing for deliverance from the
burden of being was met by the first signs of moral decay, Buddha
appeared."

"... The Saviour of the World,
Prince Siddhartha styled on Earth,
In Earth and Heavens and Hells incomparable,
All-honored, Wisest, Best, most Pitiful
The Teacher of Nirvana and the Law."
—Sir Edwin Arnold's "Light of Asia."

The Dawn of a New Era,—Oriental scholars, who had begun their
researches in the domain of Indian literature, in the beginning of this
century, were put to great perplexity of thought at the discovery made of
the existence of a religion called after Buddha, in the Indian
philosophical books. Sir William Jones, H. H. Wilson, and Colebrooke were
embarrassed in being unable to identify him. Dr. Marshman, in 1824, said
that Buddha was the Egyptian Apis, and Sir William Jones solved the
problem by saying that he was no other than the Scandinavian Woden. But in
June, 1837, the whole of the obscure history of India and Buddhism was
made clear by the deciphering of the rock-cut edicts of Asoka the Great,
in Girnar, and Kapur-da-giri by that lamented archaeologist, James
Prinsep; by the translation of the Pali Ceylon History into English, by
Tumour; by the discovery of Buddhist MSS. in the temples of Nepal, Ceylon,
and other Buddhist countries. In 1844, the "first rational, scientific and
comprehensive account of the Buddhist religion " was published by the
eminent scholar, Eugene Burnouf. The key to the hidden archives of this
great religion was presented to the people of Europe by this great
scholar, and the inquiry since begun is being carried on by the most
thoughtful men of the day.

Infinite is the wisdom of the Buddha; boundless is the love of Buddha
to all that lives, say the Buddhist scriptures. Buddha is called the
Maha-Karunika, which means the " All-Merciful Lord who has compassion on
all that lives." To the human mind Buddha's wisdom and mercy is
incomprehensible. The foremost and greatest of his disciples, the blessed
Sariputta, even he has acknowledged that he could not gauge the Buddha's
wisdom and mercy. Professor Huxley, in his recent memorable lecture on "
Evolution and Ethics," delivered at Oxford, speaking of Buddha, says:
"Gautama got rid of even that shade of a shadow of permanent existence by
a metaphysical tour de force of great interest to the student of
philosophy, seeing that it supplies the wanting half of Bishop Berkeley's
well-known idealist argument. . . . It is a remarkable indication of the
subtlety of Indian speculation that Gautama should have seen deeper than
the greatest of modern idealists." The tendency of enlightened thought of
the day all the world over is not towards theology, but philosophy and
psychology. The bark of theological dualism is drifting into danger. The
fundamental principles of evolution and monism are being accepted by the
thoughtful.

History is repeating itself. Twenty-five centuries ago India witnessed
an intellectual and religious revolution which culminated in the overthrow
of monotheism, priestly selfishness, and the establishment of a synthetic
religion, a system of life and thought which was appropriately called
Dhamma—Philosophical Religion. All that was good was collected from every
source and embodied therein, and all that was bad discarded. The grand
personality who promulgated the Synthetic Religion is known as BUDDHA. For
forty years he lived a life of absolute purity, and taught a system of
life and thought, practical, simple, yet philosophical, which makes
man—the active, intelligent, compassionate, and unselfish man—to realize
the fruits of holiness in this life on this earth. The dream of the
visionary, the hope of the theologian, was brought into objective reality.
Speculation in the domain of false philosophy and theology ceased, and
active altruism reigned supreme.

Five hundred and forty-three years before the birth of Christ, the
great being was born in the Royal Lumbini Gardens in the City of
Kapilavastu. His mother was Maya, the Queen of Raja Sudohodana of the
Solar Race of India. The story of his conception and birth, and the
details of his life up to the twenty-ninth year of his age, his great
renunciation, his ascetic life, and his enlightenment under the great Bo
tree at Buddha Jaya, in Middle India, are embodied in that incomparable
epic, The Light of Asia, by Sir Edwin Arnold. I recommend that beautiful
poem to all who appreciate a life of holiness and purity.

Six centuries before Jesus of Nazareth walked over the plains of
Galilee preaching a life of holiness and purity, the Tathagata Buddha, the
enlightened Messiah of the World, with his retinue of Arhats, or holy men,
traversed the whole peninsula of India with the message of peace and
holiness to the sin-burdened world. Heart-stirring were the words he spoke
to the first five disciples at the Deer Park, the hermitage of Saints at
Benares.

His First Message.—"Open ye your ears, O Bhikshus, deliverance from
death is found. I teach you, I preach the Law. If ye walk according to my
teaching, ye shall be partakers in a short time of that for which sons of
noble families leave their homes, and go to homelessness—the highest end
of religious effort: ye shall even in this present life apprehend the
truth itself and see it face to face." And then the exalted Buddha spoke
thus : " There are two extremes, O Bhikshus, which the truth-seeker ought
not to follow : the one a life of sensualism, which is low, ignoble,
vulgar, unworthy and unprofitable ; the other the pessimistic life of
extreme asceticism, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable. There is
a Middle Path, discovered by the Tathagata—the Messiah—a path which opens
the eyes and bestows understanding, which leads to peace of mind, to the
higher wisdom, to full enlightenment, to eternal peace. This Middle Path,
which the Tathagata has discovered, is the noble Eight-fold Path, viz.:
Right Knowledge—the perception of the Law of Cause and Effect, Right
Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Profession, Right Exertion,
Right Mindfulness, Right Contemplation. This is the Middle Path which the
Tathagata has discovered, and it is the path which opens the eyes, bestows
understanding, which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to
perfect enlightenment, to eternal peace."

Continuing his discourse, he said : " Birth is attended with pain, old
age is painful, disease is painful, death is painful, association with the
unpleasant is painful, separation from the pleasant is painful, the
non-satisfaction of one's desires is painful, in short, the coming into
existence is painful. This is the Noble Truth of suffering.

" Verily it is that clinging to life which causes the renewal of
existence, accompanied by several delights, seeking satisfaction now here,
now there— that is to say, the craving for the gratification of the
passions, or the craving for a continuity of individual existences, or the
craving for annihilation. This is the Noble Truth of the origin of
suffering. And the Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering consists in
the destruction of passions, the destruction of all desires, the laying
aside of, the getting rid of, the being free from, the harboring no longer
of this thirst. And the Noble Truth which points the way is the Noble
Eight-fold Path." This is the foundation of the Kingdom of Righteousness,
and from that center at Benares, this message of peace and love was sent
abroad to all humanity : " Go ye, O Bhikshus and wander forth for the gain
of the many, in compassion for the world for the good, for the gain, for
the welfare of gods and men. Proclaim, O Bhikshus, the doctrine glorious.
Preach ye a life of holiness, perfect and pure. Go then through every
country, convert those not converted. Go therefore, each one traveling
alone filled with compassion. Go, rescue and receive. Proclaim that a
blessed Buddha has appeared in the world, and that he is preaching the Law
of Holiness."

The essence of the vast teachings of the Buddha is :
The entire obliteration of all that is evil.
The perfect consummation of all that is good and pure.
The complete purification of the mind.

The wisdom of the ages embodied in the Three Pitakas—the Sutta, Vinaya,
Abhidhamma, comprising 84,000 discourses, all delivered by Buddha during
his ministry of forty-five years. To give an elaborate account of this
great system within an hour is not in the power of man.
Buddha in a discourse called the " Bramajala Sutta," enumerates sixty-two
different religious views held by the sectarians.

After having categorically explained these different systems Buddha
continues : "Brethren, these believers hold doctrines respecting the past,
or respecting the future, and meditating on previous events or those on
which are in futurity, declare a variety of opinions respecting the past
and future in sixty-two modes.

" These doctrines are fully understood by the Tathagata Buddha, he
knows the causes of their being held and the experiences upon which they
are founded. He also knows other things far more excellent than these; but
that knowledge has not been derived from sensual impressions. He with
knowledge, not derived from the impressions on the senses, is fully
acquainted with that by which both the impressions and their causes become
extinct, and distinctly perceiving the production, the cessation, the
advantages, the evils and the extinctions of the sensations, he is
perfectly free, having no attachments. Brethren, these doctrines of Buddha
are profound, difficult to be perceived, hard to be comprehended,
tranquilizing, excellent, not attainable by reason, subtle and worthy of
being known by the wise. These the Tathagata (Buddha) has ascertained by
his own wisdom and publicly makes them known. But the teachings of the
other believers are founded on ignorance, their want of perception, their
personal experience, and on the fluctuating emotions of those who are
under the influence of their passions. "Brethren, all these modes of
teaching respecting the past or the future,
originate in the sensations experienced by repeated impressions made on
the six organs of sensitiveness, on account of these sensations desire is
produced, in consequence of desire an attachment to the desired objects,
on account of this attachment reproduction in an existent state, in
consequence of this reproduction of existence, birth ; in consequence of
birth are produced disease, death, sorrow, weeping, pain, grief and
discontent."

A systematic study of Buddha's doctrine has not yet been made by the
Western scholars, hence the conflicting opinions expressed by them at
various times. The notion once held by the scholars that it is a system of
materialism has been exploded. The Positivists of France found it a
positivism; Buchner and his school of materialists thought it was a
materialistic system ; agnostics found in Buddha an agnostic, and Dr. Rhys
Davids, the eminent Pali scholar, used to call him the *' agnostic
philosopher of India;" some scholars have found an expressed monotheism
therein ; Arthur Lillie, another student of Buddhism, thinks it a theistic
system; pessimists identify it with Schopenhauer's pessimism, the late Mr.
Buckle identified it with pantheism of Fichte; some have found in it a
monism ; and the latest dictum of Prof. Huxley is that it is an idealism
supplying "the wanting half of Bishop Berkeley's well-known idealist
argument."

In the religion of Buddha is found a comprehensive system of ethics,
and a transcendental metaphysic embracing a sublime psychology. To the .
simple-minded it offers a code of morality, to the earnest student a
system of pure thought. But the basic doctrine is the self-purification of
man. Spiritual progress is impossible for him who does not lead a life of
puritv and compassion. The rays of the sunlight of truth enter the mind of
him who is fearless to examine truth, who is free from prejudice, who is
not tied by the sensual passions and who has reasoning faculties to think.
One has to be an atheist in the sense employed by Max Müller: "T'here is
an atheism which is unto death, there is another which is the very
life-blood of all truth and faith. It is the power of giving up what, in
our best, our most honest moments, we know to be no longer true; it is the
readiness to replace the less perfect, however dear, however sacred it may
have been to us, by the more perfect, however much it may be detested, as
vet, by the world. It is the true self-surrender, the true self-sacrifice,
the truest trust in truth, the truest faith. Without that atheism, no new
religion, no reform, no reformation, no resuscitation would ever have been
possible ; without that atheism, no new life is possible for any one of
us."

The strongest emphasis has been put by Buddha on the supreme importance
of having an unprejudiced mind before we start on the road of
investigation of truth. Prejudice, passion, fear of expression of one's
convictions and ignorance are the four biases that have to be sacrificed
at the threshold.

To be born as a human being is a glorious privilege. Man's dignity
consists in his capability to reason and think and to live up to the
highest ideal of pure life, of calm thought, of wisdom without extraneous
intervention. In the Saimanna phala Sutta, Buddha says that man can enjoy
in this life a glorious existence, a life of individual freedom, of
fearlessness and compassionateness. This dignified ideal of manhood may be
attained by the humblest, and this consummation raises him above wealth
and royalty. "He that is compassionate and observes the law is my
disciple," says Buddha.
Human Brotherhood.—This forms the fundamental teaching of Buddha ;
universal love and sympathy with all mankind and with animal life.
Everyone is enjoined to love all beings as a mother loves her only child
and takes care of it, even at the risk of her life. The realization of the
idea of brotherhood is obtained when the first stage of holiness is
reached ; the idea of separateness is destroyed, and the oneness of life
is recognized. There is no pessimism in the teachings of Buddha, for he
strictly enjoins on his holy disciples not even to suggest to others that
life is not worth living. On the contrary, the usefulness of life is
emphasized for the sake of doing good to self and humanity.

Religion Characteristic of Humanity.—From the first worshiping savage
to the highest type of humanity, man naturally yearns after something
higher; and it is for this reason that Buddha inculcated the necessity of
self-reliance and independent thought. To guide humanity in the right path
a Tathagata (Messiah) appears from time to time.

The Theism, of Buddhism.—Speaking of Deity in the sense of a Supreme
Creator, Buddha says that there is no such being. Accepting the doctrine
of evolution as the only true one, with its corollary, the law of cause
and effect, he condemns the idea of a creator and strictly forbids inquiry
into it as being useless. But a supreme god of the Brahmans and minor gods
are accepted ; but they are subject to the law of cause and effect. This
supreme god is all love, all merciful, all gentle, and looks upon all
beings with equanimity, and Buddha teaches men to practice these four
supreme virtues. But there is no difference between the perfect man and
this supreme god of the present world-period.

Evolution as Taught by Buddha.— The teachings of the Buddha on this
great subject are clear and expansive. We are asked to look upon the
cosmos " as a continuous process unfolding itself in regular order in
obedience to natural laws. We see in it all, not a warring chaos
restrained by the constant interference from without of a wise and
beneficent external power, but a vast aggregate of original elements,
perpetually working out their own fresh redistribution in accordance with
their own inherent energies. He regards the cosmos as an almost infinite
collection of material atoms animated by an almost infinite sum-total of
energy "— which is called Akasa. We do not postulate that man's evolution
began from the protoplasmic stage ; but we are asked not to speculate on
the origin of life, on the origin of the law of cause and effect, etc, So
far as this great law is concerned we say that it controls the phenomena
of human life as well as those of external nature. The whole knowable
universe forms one undivided whole, a " monon." (See Haeckel, Evolution of
Man, Vol. ii., P. 455-)

Importance of a serious study of all systems of Religion. — Buddha
promulgated his system of philosophy after having studied all religions ;
and in the Brahmajala Sutta sixty-two creeds are discussed. In the Kalama
Sutta, Buddha says, " Do not believe in what ye have heard ; do not
believe in traditions, because they have been handed down for many
generations; do not believe in anything because it is rumored and spoken
of by many; do not believe merely because the written statement of some
old sage is produced ; do not believe in conjectures ; do not believe in
that as truth to which you have become attached by habit; do not believe
merely on the authority of your teachers and elders; after observation and
analysis, when it agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and gain
of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." (Anguttara Nikdya.)

Moral Teachings of Buddha.—To the ordinary householder whose highest
happiness consists in being wealthy here and a heaven hereafter Buddha
inculcated a simple code of morality. The student of Buddha's religion
abstains from destroying life, he lays aside the club and the weapon, he
is modest and full of pity, he is compassionate and kind to all creatures
that have life. He abstains from theft, and he passes his life in honesty
and purity of heart. He lives a life of chastity and purity. He abstains
from falsehood and injures not his fellow-man by deceit. Putting away
slander he abstains from calumny. He is a peace-maker, a speaker of words
that make for peace. Whatever word is humane, pleasant to the ear, lovely,
reaching to the heart—such are words he speaks. He abstains from harsh
language. He abstains from foolish talk. He abstains from intoxicants and
stupefying drugs.
The Higher Morality.—The advanced student of the religion of Buddha when
he has faith in him thinks : " ' Full of hindrances is household life, a
path denied by passion : free as the air is the life of him who has
renounced all worldly things. How difficult is it for the man who dwells
at home to live the higher life in all its fullness, in all its purity, in
all its perfection ! Let me then cut off my hair and beard, let me clothe
myself in orange-colored robes, and let me go forth from a household life
into the homeless state.'

" Then before long, forsaking his portion of wealth, forsaking his
circle of relatives, he cuts off his hair and beard, he clothes himself in
the orange-colored robes and he goes into the homeless state. Then he
passes a life self-restrained according to the Rules of the Order of the
Blessed Ones; uprightness is his delight, and he sees danger in the least
of those things he should avoid, he encompasses himself with holiness in
word and deed, he sustains his life by means that are quite pure : good is
his conduct, guarded the door of his senses, mindful and self-possessed,
he is altogether happy."
The Low and Lying Arts.—The student of pure religion abstains from earning
a livelihood by the practice of low and lying arts, viz.: all divination,
interpretation of dreams, palmistry, astrology, crystal-gazing,
prophesying, charms of all sorts.

Universal Pity.—Buddha says: "Just as a mighty trumpeter makes himself
heard in all the four directions without difficulty; even so of all things
that have life, there is not one that the student passes by or leaves
aside, but regards them all with mind set free, and deep-felt pity,
sympathy, and equanimity. He lets his mind pervade the whole world with
thoughts of Love."

The Realization of the Unseen.—To realize the unseen is the goal of the
student of Buddha's teachings, and such a one has to lead an absolutely
pure life. Buddha says: "Let him fulfill all righteousness, let him be
devoted to that quietude of heart which springs from within, let him not
drive back the ecstasy of contemplation, let him look through things, let
him be much alone. Fulfill all righteousness for the sake of the living
and for the sake of the beloved ones that are dead and gone."

Psychic Experiments.—Thought transference, thought reading,
clairaudience, clairvoyance, projection of the sub-conscious self, and all
the higher branches of psychical science that just now engage the
thoughtful attention of the psychical researchers, are within the reach of
him who fulfills all righteousness, who is devoted to solitude and
contemplation.

The Common Appanage of all Good Men.—Charity, observance of moral
rules, purifying the mind, making others participate in the good work that
one is doing, cooperating with others in doing good, nursing the sick,
giving gifts to the deserving ones, hearing all that is good and
beautiful, making others learn the rules of morality, accepting the law of
cause and effect.

Prohibited Employments.—Slave dealing, sale of weapons of warfare, sale
of poisons, sale of intoxicants, sale of flesh—these are the lowest of all
low professions.

Five Kinds of Wealth.—Faith, pure life, receptivity of the mind to all
that is good and beautiful, liberality, wisdom—those who possessed these
five kinds or wealth in their past incarnations are influenced by the
teachings of Buddha.

Universalism of Buddha's Teachings.—Buddha says : " He who is faithful
and leads the life of a house-holder, and possesses the following four
(Dhammas) virtues : Truth, justice, firmness, and liberality—such a one
does not grieve when passing away." Pray ask other teachers and
philosophers far and wide whether there is found anything greater than
truth, self-restraint, liberality, and forbearance."

The Pupil and Teacher.—The pupil should minister to his teacher. He
should rise up in his presence, wait upon him, listen to all that he says
with respectful attention, perform the duties necessary for his personal
comfort, and carefully attend to his instruction.

The teacher should show affection to his pupil; he trains him in virtue
and good manners, carefully instructs him, imparts unto him a knowledge
of the sciences and wisdom of the ancients, speaks well of him to friends
and relations and guards him from danger.

The Honorable Man.—The honorable man ministers to his friends and
relatives by presenting gifts, by courteous language, by promoting them as
his equals, and by sharing with them his prosperity. They should watch
over him when he has negligently exposed himself and guard his property
when he is careless, assist him in difficulties, stand by him and help to
provide for his family.

The Master and Servant.—The master should minister to the wants of his
servants and dependents. He assigns them labor suitable to their strength,
provides for their comfortable support; he attends to them in sickness ;
causes them to partake of any extraordinary delicacy he may obtain, and
makes them occasional presents. And the servants should manifest their
attachment to the master; they rise before him in the morning and retire
later to rest; they do not purloin his property ; do their work cheerfully
and actively, and are respectful in their behavior towards him.

Religious Teachers and Laymen.—The religious teachers should manifest
their kind feelings toward them ; they should dissuade them from vice,
excite them to virtuous acts; being desirous of promoting the welfare of
all, they should instruct them in the things they had not previously
learned; confirm them in the truths they had received and point out to
them the way to heaven.

The laymen should minister to the teachers by respectful attention
manifested in their words, actions and thoughts; and by supplying them
their temporal wants and by allowing them constant access to themselves.

In this world, generosity, mildness of speech, public spirit and
courteous behavior are worthy of respect in all circumstances, and will be
valuable in all places.

If these be not possessed, the mother will receive neither honor nor
support from the son, neither will the father receive respect or honor.
The Mission of the Buddha. — BUDDHA says : " Know that from time to time a
Tathagata is born into the world, fully enlightened, blessed and worthy,
abounding in wisdom and goodness, happy, with knowledge of the world,
unsurpassed as a guide to erring mortals, a teacher of gods and men, a
blessed Buddha, lie by himself thoroughly understands and sees, as it
were, face to face, this universe, the world below with all its spirits,
and the worlds above and all creatures, all religious teachers, gods and
men, and he then makes his knowledge known to others. The truth doth he
proclaim both in its letter and its spirit, lovely in its origin, lovely
in its progress, lovely in its consummation ; the higher life doth he
proclaim, in all its purity and in all its perfectness."

The Attributes of Buddha.—

He is absolutely free from all passions, commits no evil, even in
secrecy, and is the embodiment of perfection; he is above doing anything
wrong.

Without a teacher by self-introspection he has reached the state of
supreme enlightenment.

By means of his divine eye he looks back to the remotest past and
future, knows the way of emancipation, is accomplished in the three
great branches of divine knowledge and has gained perfect wisdom. He is
in possession of all psychic powers, is always willing to listen, full
of energy, wisdom and Dhyana.

He has realized eternal peace of Nirvana and walks in the perfect
path of virtue.

He knows the three states of existences.

He is incomparable in purity and holiness.

He is teacher of gods and men.

He exhorts gods and men at the proper time according to their
individual temperaments.

He is the supremely enlightened teacher and the perfect embodiment
of all the virtues he preaches.

The two characteristics of the Buddha are wisdom and compassion.

Buddha's Disciples.— Buddha says : " He who is not generous, who is
fond of sensuality, who is distressed at heart, who is of uneven mind, who
is not reflective, who is not of calm mind, who is discontented at heart,
who has no control over his senses—such a disciple is far from me though
he is in body near me."

The Compassionateness Shown by Buddhist Missionaries.—Actuated by the
spirit of compassion, the disciples of Buddha have ever been in the
forefront of missionary propaganda. The whole of Asia was brought under
the influence of the Buddha's law. Never was the religion propagated by
force, not a drop of blood has ever been spilt in the name of Buddha. The
shrines of Sakya Muni are stainless. The following story is interesting as
it shows the nature of the Buddhist missionaries. Punna, the Bhikshu,
before he was sent on his mission to preach to the people of Sunaparanta
was warned by Buddha in the following manner:

"The people of Sunaparanta are exceedingly violent. If they revile,
what will you do' ? "
" I will make no reply."
"And if they strike you ? "
" I will not strike in return."
" And if they try to kill you ? "
"Death is no evil in itself, many even desire it, to escape from the
vanities of life; but I shall take no steps either to hasten or to delay
the time of my departure."

The Ultimate Goal of Man,—The ultimate goal of the perfected man is
eternal peace. To show humanity the path on which to realize this state of
eternal peace, Buddha promulgated the noble eight-fold path. The Nirvana
of Buddha is beyond the conception of the ordinary mind. Only the
perfected man realizes it. It transcends all human thought. Caught in the
vortex of evolution man undergoes change and is constantly subject to
birth and death. The happiness in the highest heaven comes some day to an
end. This change, Buddha declared, is sorrowful. And until you realize
Nirvana you are subject to birth and death. Eternal changefulness in
evolution becomes eternal rest. The constantly dissipating energy is
concentrated in Nirvanic. life. There is no more birth, no more death. It
is eternal peace. On earth the purified, perfected man enjoys Nirvana, and
after the dissolution of the physical body there is no birth in an
objective world. The gods see him not, nor does man.

The Attainment of Salvation.—It is by the perfection of self through
charity, purity, self-sacrifice, self-knowledge, dauntless energy,
patience, truth, resolution, love and equanimity, that the goal is
realized. The final consummation is Nirvana.

The Glorious Freedom of Self—the last words of Buddha—" Be ye lamps
unto yourselves. Be ye a refuge to yourselves. Betake yourself to no
external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge
to the the truth. Look not for refuge to any one besides yourselves. Learn
ye then, O Bhikshus, that knowledge have I attained and have declared unto
you, and walk ye in it, practice and increase, in order that this path of
holiness may last and long endure, for the blessing of many people to the
relief of the world, to the welfare, the blessing, the joy of gods and
men. O
Bhikshus, everything that cometh into being changeth. Strive on
unceasingly for the consummation of the highest ideal."

The Spread of the Religion of Humanity.—Two thousand one hundred years
ago the whole of Asia came under the influences of the scepter of one
emperor and he was truly called Asoka, the delight of the gods. His glory
was to spread the teachings of the Buddha throughout the world by the
force of love, and indeed nobody could say that he had failed. His only
son and daughter were made apostles of the gentle creed; and, clad in the
orange-colored robes, they went to Ceylon, converted the king and
established Buddhism there. For the first time in the history of
civilization the brotherhood of Humanity is recognized, different nations
accept one living truth, virtue is enthroned. It was a proud achievement,
unprecedented in history since the dawn of civilization. Pure religion
recognizing no Deity finds welcome everywhere. There is a grandeur
inherent in it, for it does not ' want to appeal to the selfishness of
man. When the human mind reaches a higher stage of development, the
conception of a Deity becomes less grand. Nearly three hundred millions of
people of the great empire of Asoka embrace ft system of pure ethics ; a
social polity is for the first time enunciated. The king sees much that is
sinful in the destruction of animals, and therefore " one must not kill
any living animal." He declares that at the time when the edict is
engraved " three animals only are killed for the royal table, two pea
fowls and a gazelle. Even these three animals will not be killed in
future. Everywhere in his empire, and in the neighboring kingdoms, such as
Greece, etc., the king has provided medicines of two sorts, medicines for
men and medicines for animals. Whenever useful plants, either for men or
for animals, were wanting they have been imported and planted. And along
public roads wells have been dug for the use of animals and men. It is
good and proper to render dutiful service to one's father and mother, to
friends, to acquaintances and relations; it is good and proper to bestow
alms on religious teachers and students of religion, to respect the life
of living beings, to avoid prodigality and violent language."

" Thanks to the instructions of the religion spread by the king, there
exist to-day a respect for living creatures, a tenderness towards them, a
regard for relations and for teachers, a dutiful obedience to father and
mother, and obeisance to aged men, such as have not existed for centuries.
The teaching of religion is the most meritorious of acts, and there is no
practice of religion without virtue."

" The practice of virtue is difficult, and those who practice virtue
perform what is difficult. Thus in the past there were no ministers of
religion; but I have created ministers of religion. They mix with all
sects. They bring comfort to him who is in fetters."

" The king ardently desires that all sects may live in all places. AH
of them equally purpose the subjection of the senses and the purification
of the soul; but man is fickle in his attachments. Those who do not bestow
ample gifts may yet possess a control over the senses, purity of soul and
gratitude and fidelity in their affections ; and this is commendable."

" In past times the kings went out for pastimes. These are my
pastimes,—visits and gifts to teachers, visits to aged men, the
distribution of money, visits to the people of the empire, etc."

" There is no gift comparable with the gift of religion."

"The king honors all sects, he propitiates them by alms. But the
beloved of the gods attaches less importance to such gifts and honors than
to the endeavor to promote their essential moral virtues. It is true the
prevalence of essential virtues differs in different sects. But there is a
common basis, and that is gentleness and moderation in language. Thus one
should not exalt one's own sect and decry the others ; one should not
deprecate them without cause but should render them on every occasion the
honor which they deserve. Striving thus, one promotes the welfare of his
own sect while serving the others. Whoever from attachment to his own
sect, and with a view to promote it, exalts it and decries others, only
deals rude blows to his own sect. Hence concord alone is meritorious, so
that all bear and love to bear the beliefs of each other. All people,
whatever their faith may be, should say that the beloved of the gods
attaches less importance to gifts and external observances than to the
desire to promote essential moral doctrines and mutual respect for all
sects. The result of this is the promotion of my own faith and its
advancement in the light of religion."

" The beloved of the gods ardently desires security for all creatures,
respect for life, peace and kindliness in behavior. This is what the
beloved of the gods considers as the conquest of religion, ... I have felt
an intense joy—such is the happiness which the conquests of religion
procure. It is with this object that this religious inscription has been
engraved, in order that our sons and grandsons may not think that a new
conquest is necessary; that they may not think that conquest by the sword
deserves the name of conquest; that they may see in it nothing but
destruction and violence; that they may consider nothing as true conquest
as the conquest of religion."

In the eighth edict the great emperor says : " I have also appointed
ministers of religion in order that they may exert themselves among all
sects, monks as well as worldly men. I have also had in view the interest
of the clergy, of Brahmans, of religious mendicants, of religious
Nirganthas and of various sects among whom my officers work. "The
ministers exert themselves, each in his corporation, and the ministers of
religion work generally among all sects. In this way acts of religion are
promoted in the world as well as the practice of religion, viz., mercy and
charity, truth and purity, kindness and goodness. The progress of religion
among men is secured in two ways, by positive rules and by religious
sentiments. Of these two methods that of positive rules is of poor value,
it is the inspiration in the heart which best prevails. It is solely by a
change in the sentiments of the heart that religion makes a real advance
in inspiring a respect for life, and in the anxiety not to kill living
beings." Who shall say that the religion of this humane emperor has not
endured, and within the two thousand years which have succeeded, mankind
has discovered no nobler religion than to promote in this earth "mercy and
charity, truth and purity, kindness and goodness."

To what degree has each religion helped the historic evolution of the
Race ?—When Buddhism flourished in India, the arts, sciences and
civilization reached their zenith, as witnessed in the edicts and
monuments of Asoka's reign. Hospitals were first founded for man and
beast. Missionaries were sent to all parts of the world.. Literature was
encouraged. Wherever Buddhism has gone, the nations have imbibed its
spirit, and the people have become gentler and milder. The slaughter of
animals and drunkenness ceased, and wars were almost abolished..

What the Buddhist Literature has wrought for mankind.—With the advent
of Buddhism into Ceylon, and other Buddhist countries, literature
flourished, and wherever it went it helped the development of arts and
letters. The monasteries became the seats of learning, and the monks in
obedience to their Master's will, disseminated knowledge among the people.

Religion and the Family. The Domestic Education of Children. The
Marriage Bond.—The Sigatowada Sutta lays down the relations of the members
of the household to one another:

Parents should: (i) Restrain their children from vice; (2) Train them
in virtue; (3) Have them taught arts and sciences; (4) Provide them with -
suitable wives and husbands; (5) Endow them with an inheritance.

Children should; (l) Support their parents; (2) Perform the proper
family duties; (3) Guard their property; (4) Make themselves worthy to be
the heir; (5) Honor their memory. The gift of the whole world with all Its
wealth would be no adequate return to parents for all that they have done.

The Husband should: (l) Treat his wife with respect; (2) Treat his wife
with kindness; (3) Be faithful to her; (4) Cause her to be honored by
others; (5) Give her suitable ornaments and clothes.

The Wife should: (i) Order her household aright; (2) Be hospitable to
kinsmen and friends; (3) Be chaste; (4) Be a thrifty housekeeper; (5) Show
diligence and skill.

Buddhist Brotherhood.—Buddha was the first to establish the brotherhood
without distinction of caste and race. Twenty-four centuries ago he
declared, " As the great streams, O disciples, however many they may be,
the Ganges, Jumna, Achiravati, Sarabhu, when they reach the great ocean
lose their old name and their old descent, and bear only one name—the
great ocean, so also do the Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Sudras,
lose their distinctions when they join the brotherhood." The outcast as
well as the prince was admitted to this order. Virtue was the passport,
not wealth
and rank.

Buddha's Exalted Tolerance.— " Bhikshus, if others speak against me, or
speak against my doctrine, or speak against the order, that is no reason
why you should be angry, discontented or displeased with them ... If you,
in consequence thereof, become angry and dissatisfied, you bring yourself
into danger ... If you become angry and dissatisfied will you be able to
judge whether they speak correctly or incorrectly ? ' We shall not, O
Lord, fir be able, ... If others speak against me you should repudiate the
falsehood as being a falsehood, saying, ' These things are not so, they
are not
true, these things are not existing amongst us, they are not in us.

" Bhikshus, if others speak in praise of me, speak in praise of my
doctrine, or speak in praise of the order, that is no reason why you
should be pleased, gratified, or elated in mind ... If you, in consequence
thereof, be pleased, gratified, or elated in mind, you bring yourselves
thereby into danger. The truth should be received by you as being the
truth, knowing that these things exist, that they are true, that they
exist among you and are seen in . you ..."

Buddhism and Modern Science.—Sir Edwin Arnold says : " I have often
said, and I shall say again and again, that between Buddhism and modern
science there exists a close intellectual bond. When Tyndall tells us of
sounds we cannot hear, and Norman Lockyer of colors we cannot see, when
Sir William Thompson and Prof. Sylvester push mathematical investigation
to regions almost beyond the calculus, and others, still bolder, imagine
and I try to grapple a space of four dimensions, what is all this except
the Buddhist Maya ? And when Darwin shows us life passing onward and
upward through a series of constantly improving forms toward the Better
and the Best, each individual starting in new existence with the records
of bygone good and evil stamped deep and ineffaceably from the old ones,
what is this again but the Buddhist doctrine of Karma and Dharma?"
Finally, if we gather up all the results of modern research, and look away
from the best literature to the largest discovery in physics and the
latest word in biology, what is the conclusion -- the high and joyous
conclusion--forced upon the mind, if not that which renders true Buddhism
so glad and so hopeful ?
Can the Knowledge of Religion be Scientific ?—Buddhism is a scientific
religion, inasmuch as it earnestly enjoins that nothing whatever be
accepted on faith, Buddha has said that nothing should be believed merely
because it is said. Buddhism is tantamount to a knowledge of other
sciences.

Religion in its Relation to Morals. -The highest morality is inculcated
in the system of Buddha, since it permits freedom of thought and opinion,
sets its face against persecution and cruelty, and recognizes the rights
of animals. Drink, opium, and all that tend to destroy the composure of
the mind are discountenanced.

Different Schemes for the Restoration of Fallen Man,—It is the duty of
the Bhikshus and of the religious men (Upasakas) not only to be an example
of holy life, but continually to exhort their weaker brethren by pointing
out the pernicious effects of an evil life, and the gloriousness of a
virtuous life, and urge them to a life of purity. The fallen should on no
account be neglected ; they are to be treated with sympathy.

Religion and Social Problems,—The basic doctrine of Buddhism is to
relieve human suffering. A life of sensual pleasures is condemned, and the
conflicts of labor and capital and other problems which confront Europe
are not to be met with in Buddhistic countries. In the Vesala Sutta he who
does not look after the poor is called a Vasala or low-born man. In the
Sigatowada Sutta, Buddha enjoins on men to devote one-fourth of their
wealth in the cause of the relief of the needy. In the Mahadhamma Samadana
Sutta Buddha says the poverty of a man is no excuse for his neglect of
religion. As the dropsy patient must take bitter medicine, so the poor,
notwithstanding their poverty, must lead the religious life which is hard.

Religion and Temperance,—Buddha said : " Man already drunk with
ignorance should not add thereto by the imbibition of alcoholic drinks."
One of the vows taken by the Buddhist monks and by the laity runs thus: "
I take the vow to abstain from intoxicating drinks because they hinder
progress and virtue." The Dhammika Sutta says: "The householder that
delights in the law should not indulge in intoxicating drinks, should not
cause others to drink, and should not sanction the acts of those who
drink, knowing that it results in insanity. The ignorant commit sins in
consequence of drunkenness and also make others drink. You should avoid
this. It is the cause of demerit, insanity and ignorance—though it be
pleasing to the ignorant."

The dangers of modern life originate chiefly from drink and brutality,
and in Buddhist countries the law, based upon teachings of Buddhism,
prohibits the manufacture, sale and use of liquor, and prevents the
slaughter of animals for food. The inscriptions of Asoka and the histories
of Ceylon, Burmah and other Buddhist countries prove this.

Benefits Conferred on Woman by Buddhism. -The same rights are given to
woman as to man. Not the least difference is shown, and perfect equality
has been proclaimed. " Woman," Buddha says in the Culavedala Sutta and in
the Mahavagga, " may attain the highest path of holiness, Rahatship, which
is open to man."

Love of Country and Observance of Law.—In the Mahaparinibhana Sutta
Buddha enjoined love for one's country. " So long as a people meet
together in concord and rise in concord, and carry out their undertakings
in concord, so long as they enact nothing not already established,
abrogate nothing that has been already enacted, and act in accordance with
the ancient institutions as established in former days, so long as they
esteem and honor and revere the elders, so long as no women or girls are
detained among them by force or abduction, so long as they honor and
revere the shrines in town and country, so long will they be expected not
to decline, but to prosper."

The Fraternity of People.—As Buddhism acknowledges no caste system, and
admits the perfect equality of all men, it proclaims universal
brotherhood. But peoples should agree in the acceptance of the universal
virtues. Buddhism advocates universal peace amongst nations, and deplores
war and bloodshed. The rights of smaller tribes and nations for a separate
existence should be protected from aggressive warfare. In the Anguttara
Nikaya, Tika Nipata, Brahmanavagga, Buddha advocates arbitration, instead
of war. Buddhism strongly condemns war on the ground of the great losses
it brings on humanity. It says that devastation, famine and other such
evils have been brought on by war.

"The question is how to evangelize the non-Christian countries. For
nineteen centuries you have had Christianity in Europe. Only during the
last three centuries have attempts been made to propagate it in the East,
and with unsuccessful results. The platform you have built up must be
entirely reconstructed if Christianity is to make progress in the East.
You must send men full of unselfishness. They must have a spirit of
self-sacrifice, a spirit of charity, a spirit of tolerance. We want the
lowly and meek and gentle teachings of Christ, not because we do not have
them now, but we want more of them. The missionaries sent to Ceylon, China
or Burmah, as a rule, have not the tolerance that we need. The missionary
is intolerant; he is selfish. Why do not the natives mix with him ?
Because he has not the tolerance and unselfishness he should have. Who are
his converts ? They are all men of low type. Seeing the selfishness and
intolerance of the missionary not an intelligent man will accept
Christianity. Buddhism had its missionaries before Christianity was
preached. It conquered all Asia and made the Mongolians mild. But the
influence of western civilization is undoing their work.

It is left for
you, this younger family of European nations, to change this. I warn you
that if you want to establish Christianity in the East it can only be done
on the principles of Christ's love and meekness. Let the missionary study
all the religions ; let them be a type of meekness and lowliness and they
will find a welcome in all lands."

"Max Müller says: " When a religion has ceased to produce champions,
prophets and martyrs, it has ceased to live in the true sense of the word,
and the decisive battle for the dominion of the world would have to be
fought out among the three missionary religions which are alive —
Buddhism, Mohammedanism and Christianity." Sir William W. Hunter, in his "
Indian Empire," says: " The secret of Buddha's success was that he brought
spiritual deliverance to the people. He preached that salvation was
equally open to all men and that it must be earned, not by propitiating
imaginary deities but by our own conduct. His doctrines thus cut away the
religious basis of caste, denied the efficiency of the sacrificial ritual,
and assailed the supremacy of the Brahmans as the mediators between God
and man." Buddha taught that sin, sorrow and deliverance, the state of man
in this life, in all previous and in all future lives, are the inevitable
results of his own acts. He thus applies the inexorable law of cause and
effect to the soul. What a man sows he must reap.

As no evil remains
without punishment and no good deed without reward, it follows that
neither priest nor God can prevent each act bearing its own consequences.

By this great law of Karma Buddha explained the inequalities and
apparent injustice of man's estate in this world as the consequence of
acts in the past, while Christianity compensates those inequalities by
rewards in the future. A system in which our whole well-being, past,
present, and to come, depends on ourselves, theoretically, leaves little
room for the interference, or even existence, of a personal God. But the
atheism of Buddha was a philosophical tenet, which, so far from weakening
the functions of right and wrong, gave them new strength from the doctrine
of Karma, or the metempsychosis of character. To free ourselves from the
thraldom of desire and from the fetters of selfishness was to attain to
the state of the perfect disciple in this life and to the everlasting rest
after death.

The great practical aim of Buddha's teaching was to subdue the lusts of
the flesh and the cravings of self, and this could only be attained by the
practice of virtue. In place of rites and sacrifices Buddha prescribed a
code of practical morality as the means of salvation.

The life and teachings of Buddha are also beginning to exercise a new
influence on religions thought in Europe and America. Buddhism will stand
forth as the embodiment of the eternal verity that as a man sows he will
reap, associated with the duties of mastery over self and kindness to all
men, and quickened into a popular religion by the example of a noble and
beautiful life.

Here are some Buddhist teachings as given in the words of Jesus, and
claimed by Christianity:

Whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings and doeth them, he is
like a man which built a house and laid the foundation on a rock.
Why call ye me Lord and do not the things which I say?
Judge not, condemn not, forgive.
Love your enemies and do good, hoping for nothing again, and your reward
shall be great.
Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.
Be ready, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Sell all that ye have and give it to the poor.
Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat,
drink and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy
soul shall be required of thee, then whose shall these things be which
thou has provided ?
The life is more than meat and the body more than raiment. Whosoever he
be of yon that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my disciple.

Here are some Buddhist teachings for comparison:

Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time. Hatred ceases by love.
This is an ancient law. Let us live happily, not hating those who hate
us. Among men who hate us, let us live free from hatred. Let one
overcome anger by love. Let him overcome evil by good. Let him overcome
the greedy by liberality. Let the liar be overcome by truth.
As the bee, injuring not the flower, its color or scent, flies away,
taking the nectar, so let the wise man dwell upon the earth.
Like a beautiful flower, full of color and full of scent, the fine words
of him who acts accordingly are full of fruit.
Let him speak the truth, let him not yield to anger, let him give when
asked, even from the little he has. By these things he will enter
heaven.
The man who has transgressed one law and speaks lies and denies a future
world, there is no sin he could not do.
The real treasure is that laid up through charity and piety, temperance
and self-control; the treasure thus hid is secured, and passes not away.

Nirvana is a state to be realized here on this earth. He who has
reached the fourth stage of holiness consciously enjoys the bliss of
Nirvana. But it is beyond the reach of him who is selfish, skeptical,
realistic, sensual, full of hatred, full of desire, proud, self-righteous
and ignorant. When by supreme and unceasing effort he destroys all
selfishness and realizes the oneness of all beings, is free from all
prejudices and dualism, when he by patient investigation discovers truth,
the stage of holiness is reached.

Among Buddhist ideals are self-sacrifice for the sake of others,
compassion based on wisdom, joy in the hope that there is final bliss for
the pure-minded, altruistic individual.

In his inaugural address, delivered at the Congress of Orientals, last
year, Max Müller remarked: " As to the religion of Buddha being influenced
by foreign thought, no true scholar now dreams of that. The Religion of
Buddha is the daughter of the old Brahman religion, and a daughter in many
respects more beautiful than the mother. On the contrary, it was through
Buddhism that India, for the first time, stepped forth from its isolated
position and became an actor in the historical drama of the world."

R. C. Dutt says: " The moral teachings and precepts of Buddhism have so
much in common with those of Christianity that some connection between the
two systems of religion has long been suspected. Candid inquirers who have
paid attention to the history of India and of the Greek world during the
centuries immediately preceding the Christian Era, and noted the intrinsic
relationship which existed between these countries in scientific,
religious and literary ideas, found no difficulty in believing that
Buddhist ideas and precepts penetrated into the Greek world before the
birth of Christ""

"With his black, curly locks thrown back from his broad brow,-his keen, clear eye fixed upon the audieri~~. his long brown fingers emphasizing the utterances of his vibrant voice, he looked the very image of a propagandist, and one trembled to know that such a figure stood at the head of the movement to consolidate all the disciples of Buddha and to spread 'the light of Asia' throughout the civilized world."

"BUDDHISM—ORTHODOX SOUTHERN.
BY RIGHT REV. H. SUMANGALA, HIGH PRIEST OF THE SOUTHERN BUDDHIST CHURCH OF
CEYLON.

The Sinhalese followers of Arya Dharma, miscalled Buddhism by
Western scholars, through their chosen delegate, Mr. Dharmapala, greet the
delegates representing all the World's Religions in open Parliament
assembled at Chicago, in the year 2436 of Buddha's Nirvana—A.D. 1893. To
the Advisory Council of the Exposition, and to all and several the
delegates, the salutations of peace, tolerance, and human and divine
brotherhood.

Be it known to you, brethren, that ours is the oldest of missionary
religions, the principle of propaganda having been adopted by its
promulgator at the very beginning and enforced by him in the despatch of
his immediate followers, " The Brethren of the Yellow Robe," shortly after
his attainment of the state of perfect spiritual illumination, 2481 years
ago, under the Bodhitree at Buddha Gaya in Middle India. Traces of these
ancient missions have been discovered of late years, and the influence of
their teachings recognized by Western scholars in various directions. The
spread of these ideas has invariably been effected by their intrinsic
excellence, and never, as we rejoice to know, by the aid of force, or
appeal to the superstitious weakness of the uneducated masses. No blood
stains our temples, no profitable harvest have we reaped from human
oppression. The Tathagata Buddha has enjoined his followers to promote
education, foster scientific inquiry, respect the religious views of
others, frequent the company of the wise, and avoid unproductive
controversy. He has taught them to believe nothing upon mere authority,
however seemingly influential, and to discuss religious opinions in a
spirit of love and forbearance, without fear and without prejudice,
confident that truth protects the righteous seeker after truth.

It is evident then, brethren, that the scheme of your Parliament of
Religions recommends itself to the followers of Sakya Muni, and that we,
one and all, are bound to wish it the most complete success. We should
have been glad to accede to the wishes of your council in sending one or
more of our ordained monks; but being ignorant of Western languages, their
presence as active members of the Parliament would be useless. For
centuries circumstances have put a stop to our organized foreign
propaganda, and the life of our monks has been one of quiet study,
meditation and good works in and near their monasteries. It was,
therefore, a joy to us that, through the liberality of your council, our
young lay-missionary, H. Dharmapala, has been enabled to undertake the
honorable duty of presenting this address of greeting and taking part in
your parliamentary deliberations. We commend him to you as worthy of
confidence, and hope that good may result from his mission.

Education in Ceylon on Western principles has been backward because
until quite recently our children could not procure it save at the risk of
the destruction of their religious belief under the interested tuition of
anti-Buddhist instruction. This is now being remedied by the opening of
secular schools by our people under the lead of the Theosophical Society.
To Colonel Olcott we owe the very catechism out of which our children are
being taught the first principles of religion, and our present brotherly
relations with our co-religionists of Japan and other Buddhistic
countries. The religious future of Ceylon, brethren, is full of promise,
and with the growth of our enlightenment, we shall be more fit to carry
abroad the teachings of the Great Master, whose mission was to emancipate
the human mind from the bonds of selfishness, superstition and
materialism.

The labors of Orientalists, especially of Pali scholars, have of late
resulted in spreading very widely throughout the world, some knowledge of
the Buddha's teachings, while Sir Edwin Arnold's epic, "The Light of
Asia," has created a popular love for the stainless and compassionate
character of Gautama Buddha. Justice being done to him, his personality is
seen to shine with exceptional brilliance among the figures of human
history. We think that our Arya Dhama reflects the spiritual sunlight of
his own pure nobility and the luminousness of his own wisdom. We invite
you all to examine and test it for yourselves. Our founder taught that the
cause of all miseries is ignorance; its antithesis, happiness, is the
product of knowledge.

He taught religious tolerance, the kinship of human families with each
other and with the universe, the existence of a common law of being and of
evolution for us all, the necessity for the conquest of the passions, the
avoidance of cruelty, lying, lustfulness, and all sensual indulgences, of
the clinging to superstitious beliefs, whether traditional or modern, and
of belief in alleged infallibility of men or books. He inculcated the
practice of all virtues, a high altruism in word and deed, the following
of blameless modes of living and the keeping of an open mind for the
discovery of truth. He taught the existence of a natural causation called
Karma, which operates throughout the universe, and which, in the sphere of
ethics, becomes the principle of equilibrium between the opposing forces
of ignorance and wisdom, the agent of both retribution and recompense. He
taught that existence in physical life is attended by fleeting pleasures
and lasting pains, wherefore the enlightened mind should recognize the
fact and conquer the lust for life in the plane of physical being. Every
effect being related to an anterior, formative cause, the joys and sorrows
of life are the fruits of our individual actions; hence man is the creator
of his own destiny, and is his only possible liberator, Liberation is
enfranchisement from the trammels of ignorance, which not only begets the
sorrows that scourge us, but also, by keeping active the thirst for bodily
life, compels us to be incarnated again and again indefinitely until
wisdom dries up the salt spring at which we try to quench our maddening
thirst for life and life's illusive activities, and we break out of the
whirling wheel of rebirth, and escape into the calm and full wisdom of
Nirvana.

The literature of Southern Buddhism is copious, yet its fundamental
ideas may be easily synthesized.

Our scriptures are grouped into three divisions, called Pitakas ; of
which the first (Sutta) comprises sermons or lectures on morality; the
second (Vinaya) specifies the constitution, rules and discipline of the
Order and of our Laity, and the the third (Abhi Dhamma) propounds the
psychology of our system.

Of course, it would be useless to lay before a transient body like
yours a collection of these religious books, written in an unfamiliar
language ; we must trust our delegate to the inspiration of your presence
to give you a summary of what Southern Buddhists believe it necessary for
the world to know, in the interest of human progress and human happiness."

"BUDDHISM AS IT EXISTS IN SIAM.
By H.R.H. PRINCE CHANDRADAT CHUDHADHARN.

Buddhism, as it exists in Siam,
teaches that ail things are made up from the Dharma, a Sanscrit term
meaning the " essence of nature." The Dharma presents the three following
phenomena, which generally exist in every being : I. The accomplishment of
eternal evolution. 2. Sorrow and suffering according to human ideas. 3. A
separate power, uncontrollable by the desire of man, and not belonging to
man.

The Dharma is formed of two essences, one known as matter, the other
known as spirit. These essences exist for eternity; they are without
beginning and without end , the one represents the world and the corporeal
parts of man, and the other the mind of man. The three phenomena combined
are the factors for molding forms and creating sensations. The waves of
the ocean are formed but of water, and the various shapes they take are
dependent upon the degree of motion in the water; in similar manner the
Dharma represents the universe, and varies according to the degree of
evolution accomplished within it. Matter is called in the Pali " Rupa,"
and spirit " Nama." Everything in the universe is made up of Rupa and
Nama. or matter and spirit, as already stated. The difference between all
material things, as seen outwardly, depends upon the degree of evolution
that is inherent to matter; and the difference between all spirits depends
upon the degree of will, which is the evolution of spirit. These
differences, however, are only apparent; in reality, all is one and the
same essence, merely a modification of the one great eternal truth,
Dharma.

Man, who is an aggregate of Dharma, is, however, unconscious of the
fact, because his will either receives impressions and becomes modified by
mere visible things, or because his spirit has become identified with
appearances, such as man, animal, deva or any other beings that are also
but modified spirits and matter. Man becomes, therefore, conscious of
separate existence. But all outward forms, man himself included, are made
to live or to last for a short space of time only. They are soon to be
destroyed and recreated again and again by an eternal evolution. He is
first body and spirit, but through ignorance of the fact that all is
Dharma, and of that which is good and evil, his spirit may become
impressed with evil temptation. Thus, for instance, he may desire certain
things with that force peculiar to a tiger, whose spirit is modified by
craving for lust and anger. In such a case he will be continually
adopting, directly or indirectly, in his own life, the wills and acts of
that tiger and thereby is himself that animal in spirit and soul. Yet
outwardly he appears to be a man, and is as yet unconscious of the fact
that his spirit has become endowed with the cruelties of the tiger.

If this state continues until the body be dissolved or changed into
other matter, be dead, as we say, that same spirit which has been endowed
with the cravings of lust and anger of a tiger, of exactly the same nature
and feelings as those that have appeared in the body of the man 'before
his death, may reappear now to find itself in the body of a tiger,
suitable to its nature. Thus, so long as man is ignorant of that nature of
Dharma and fails to identify that nature, he continues to receive
different impressions from beings around him in this universe, thereby
suffering pains, sorrows, disappointments of all kinds, death.

If, however, his spirit be impressed with the good qualities that are
found in a superior being, such as the deva, for instance, by adopting in
his own life the acts and wills of that superior being, man becomes
spiritually that superior being himself, both in nature and soul, even
while in his present form. When death puts an end to his physical body, a
spirit of the very same nature and quality may reappear in the new body of
a deva to enjoy a life of happiness not to be compared to anything that is
known in this world.

However, to all beings alike, whether superior or inferior to
ourselves, death is a suffering. It is, therefore, undesirable to be born
into any being that is a modification of Dharma, to be sooner or later
again and again dissolved by the eternal phenomenon of evolution. The only
means by which we are able to free ourselves from sufferings and death is
therefore to possess a perfect knowledge of Dharma, and to realize by will
and acts that nature only obtainable by adhering to the precepts given by
Lord Buddha in the Four Noble Truths. The consciousness of self-being is a
delusion, so that, until we are convinced that we ourselves and whatever
belongs to ourselves is a mere nothingness, until we have lost the idea or
impression that we are men, until that idea become completely annihilated
and we have become united to Dharma, we are unable to reach spiritually
the state of Nirvana, and that is only attained when the bodies dissolve
both spiritually and physically. So that one should cease all petty
longing for personal happiness, and remember that one life is as hollow as
the other, that all is transitory and unreal.

The true Buddhist does not mar the purity of his self-denial by lusting
after a positive happiness which he himself shall enjoy here or hereafter.
Ignorance of Dharma leads to sin, which leads to sorrow; and under these
conditions of existence each new birth leaves man ignorant and finite
still. What is to be hoped for is the absolute repose of Nirvana, the
extinction of our being, nothingness. Allow me to give an illustration. A
piece of rope is thrown in a dark road ; a silly man passing by cannot
make out what it is. In his natural ignorance the rope appears to be a
horrible snake, and
immediately creates in him alarm, fright and suffering. Soon light dwells
upon him; he now realizes that what he took to be a snake is but a piece
of rope; his alarm and fright are suddenly at an end; they are annihilated
as it were; the man now becomes happy and free from the suffering he has
just experienced through his own folly.

It is precisely the same with ourselves, our lives, our deaths, our
alarms, our cries, our lamentations, our disappointments, and all other
sufferings. They are created by our own ignorance of eternity, of the
knowledge of Dharma to do away with and annihilate all of them.
I shall now refer to the Four Noble Truths as taught by our merciful and
omniscient Lord Buddha; they point out the path that leads to Nirvana or
to the desirable extinction of self.

The first Noble Truth is suffering; it arises from birth, old age,
illness, sorrow, death, separation from what is loved, association with
what is hateful, and in short, the very idea of self in spirit and matter
that constitute Dharma.

The second Noble Truth is the cause of suffering which results from
ignorance, creating lust for objects of perishable nature. If the lust be
for sensual objects it is called, in Pali, Kama Tanha. If it be for
supersensual objects, belonging to the mind but still possessing a form in
the mind, it is called Bhava Tanha. If the lust be purely for supersensual
objects that belong to the mind but are devoid of all form whatever, it is
called Wibhava Tanha.
The third Noble Truth is the extinction of sufferings, which is brought
about by the cessation of the three kinds of lust, together with their
accompanying evils, which all result directly from ignorance.

The fourth Noble Truth is the means of paths that lead to the cessation
of lusts and other evils. This Noble Truth is divided into the following
eight paths: right understanding; right resolutions; right speech; right
acts; right way of earning a livelihood ; right efforts ; right meditation
; right state of mind. A few words of explanation on these paths may not
be found out of place.

By right understanding is meant proper comprehension, especially in
regard to what we call sufferings. We should strive to learn the cause of
our sufferings and the manner to alleviate and even to suppress them. We
are not to forget that we are in this world to suffer; that wherever there
is pleasure there is pain, and that, after all, pain and pleasure only
exist according to human ideas.

By right resolutions is meant that it is our imperative duty to act
kindly to our fellow creatures. We are to bear no malice against anybody
and never to seek revenge. We are to understand that in reality we exist
in flesh and blood only for a short time, and that happiness and
sufferings are transient or idealistic, and therefore we should try to
control our desires and cravings, and endeavor to be good and kind toward
our fellow creatures.

By right speech is meant that we are always to speak the truth, never
to incite one's anger toward others, but always to speak of things useful,
and never use harsh words destined to hurt the feelings of others.

By right acts is meant that we should never harm our fellow creatures,
neither steal, take life, or commit adultery. Temperance and celibacy are
also enjoined.

By right way of earning a livelihood is meant that we are always to be
honest and never to use wrongful or guilty means to attain an end.

By right effort is meant that we are to persevere in our endeavors to
do good and to mend our conduct should we ever have strayed from the path
of virtue.

By right meditation is meant that We should always look upon life as
being temporary, consider our existence as a source of suffering, and
therefore endeavor always to calm our minds that may be excited by the
sense of pleasure or pain.

By right state of mind is meant that we should be firm in our belief
and be strictly indifferent both to the sense or feeling of pleasure and
pain.

It would be out of place here to enter into further details on the Four
Noble Truths; it would require too much time. I will, therefore, merely
summarize their meanings, and say that sorrow and sufferings are mainly
due to ignorance, which creates in our minds lust, anger and other evils.
The extermination of all sorrow and suffering and of all happiness is
attained by the eradication of ignorance and its evil consequences, and by
replacing it with cultivation, knowledge, contentment and love.

Now comes the question, what is good and what is evil ? Every act,
speech or thought derived from falsehood, or that which is injurious to
others, is evil. Every act, speech or thought derived from truth and that
which is not injurious to others is good. Buddhism teaches that lust
prompts avarice ; anger creates animosity ; ignorance produces false
ideas. These are called evils because they cause pain. On the other hand,
contentment prompts charity; love creates kindness; knowledge produces
progressive ideas. These are called good because they give pleasure.

The teachings of Buddhism on morals are numerous, and are divided into
three groups of advantages : The advantage to be obtained in the present
life, the advantage to be obtained in the future life, and the advantage
to be obtained in all eternity. For each of these advantages there are
recommended numerous paths to be followed by those who aspire to any one
of them. I will only quote a few examples.

To those who aspire to advantages in the present life Buddhism
recommends diligence, economy, expenditure suitable to one's income, and
association with the good.

To those who aspire to the advantages of the future life are
recommended chanty, kindness, knowledge of right and wrong,

To those who wish to enjoy the everlasting advantages in all eternity
are recommended purity of conduct, of mind and of knowledge.

Allow me now to say a few words on the duties of man toward his wife
and family, as preached by the Lord Buddha himself to the lay disciples in
different discourses, or Suttas, as they are called in Pali. They belong
to the group of advantages of present life.

A good man is characterized by seven qualities. He should not be loaded
with faults, he should be free from laziness, he should not .boast of his
knowledge, he should be truthful, benevolent, content, and should aspire
to all that is useful.

A husband should honor his wife, never insult her, never displease her,
make her mistress of the house, and provide for her. On her part a wife
ought to be cheerful toward him when he works, entertain his friends and
care for his dependents, never do anything he does not wish, take good
care of the wealth he has accumulated, not be idle, but always cheerful
when at work herself.

Parents in old age expect their children to take care of them, to do
all their work and business, to maintain the household, and, after death,
to do honor to their remains by being charitable. Parents help their
children by preventing them from doing sinful acts, by guiding them in the
path of virtue, by educating them, by providing them with husbands and
wives suitable to them, by leaving them legacies.

When poverty, accident or misfortune befalls man, the Buddhist is
taught to bear it with patience, and if these are brought on by himself,
it is his duty to discover their causes and try, if possible, to remedy
them. If the causes, however, are not to be found here in this life, he
must account for them by the wrongs done in his former existence.

Temperance is enjoined upon all Buddhists for the reason that the habit
of using intoxicating things tends to lower the mind to the level of that
of an idiot, a madman or an evil spirit.

These are some of the doctrines and moralities taught by Buddhism,
which I hope will give you an idea of the scope of the Lord Buddha's
teachings. In closing this brief paper, I earnestly wish you all, my
brothel-religionists, the enjoyment of long life, happiness and
prosperity."

Soyen Shaku, the first person to bring Rinzai Zen Buddhism to
America and to direct Zen toward non-Japanese Americans, was born in
Japan in 1859. In 1871 at the age of twelve he was ordained a monk
in the Rinzaishu Engakujiha, A Rinzai Zen sect founded in
1282 by Mugaku-Sogen (1213-1278). The leader of the group was
Imakita Kosen Roshi (1816-1892), who had developed a unique interest
in having his monks university trained and in promulgating Zen among
a lay public. During his early years as a monk, Soyen was recognized
as an outstanding student; in 1884 he received the dharma
transmission from Kosen who declared of Soyen, "He is a born
bodhisatwa."

That same year Soyen began two years of study at Keio University. On
completion of his studies, he traveled to Ceylon to study Hinayana
Buddhism and Sanskrit. Between his university training and travel
abroad, Soyen began to develop the cosmopolitan perspective that was
to characterize his life's work. On his return to Japan, he became
the teacher at the Nagata Zendo, a position he held until Kosen's
death in 1892, when he succeeded his teacher at Engakuji, the
monastery at Kamakura.

That year he received an invitation to speak at the World
Parliament of Religions that was being organized by the League
of Liberal Clergymen in Chicago, Illinois. It was considered
improper for a Zen monk to travel abroad, especially to a "barbarian"
country such as the United States. Most advised against it, but true
to his cosmopolitan stance, he accepted the invitation.

In Chicago he delivered two addresses, both read by Dr. J. H.
Burrows, the president of the parliament, since Soyen could not
speak English. He gave one address on Buddhist thought, "The Law of
Cause and Effect as Taught by Buddha," and a second on war, "Arbitration
Instead of War." More important than his speeches, however, was that
Soyen met Paul Carus and after the parliament stayed at his
home in LaSalle, Illinois. Carus, the owner of the Open Court
Publishing Company, developed an interest in Buddhism as a result of
Soyen's visiting the Parliament. The following year he wrote and
published the first popular English-language book by an American "advocate"
of Buddhism, The Gospel of Buddhism.

After the parliament, Soyen returned to Japan to resume his duties
at Engakuji. Among his students were the three who would be most
important in spreading Zen in the United States, Nyogen Senzaki,
Sokatsu Shaku, and D. T. Suzuki. He pursued a normal
course as teacher, abbot, and leader of the Rinzaishu Engakujiha
until 1905, when Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Russell came to
Engakuji to study Zen. The Russells were accepted as students, and
they, in turn, persuaded Soyen to return to America with them the
following summer.

He lived outside San Francisco at the Russell residence and led the
family and servants in the daily practice of Zen. He introduced Mrs.
Russell to the practice of the koans, and she became the first
American to experience them. While living with the Russells, Soyen
also gave lectures in their home and traveled to a number of
localities to speak to both Japanese and non-Japanese audiences.
D. T. Suzuki joined him as his interpreter. After nine months in
San Francisco, accompanied by Suzuki, Soyen journeyed across the
United States, lecturing, and returned home by way of Ceylon.

For the remaining years of his life, he lived quietly at Kamakura.
Not only did he serve as head of the Rinzaishu Engakujiha but he
also assumed leadership of the Rinzaishu Kenchojiha, another
Rinzai sect, and became president of Rinzai College. He died in
1919."

Kuroda, Shinto: Outlines of the Mahayana as taught by Buddha / by S.
Kuroda ... Carefully examined by the scholars of the Tendai, Shingon, Rinzai,, Soto, and
Shin sects, and traslated [!] by M. Waku [etc.] ... Edited by the Bukkyo gakkuwai. - Tokyo
: Japan, 1893. - 27 p. 19 cm.
[Japanese title on leaf at end]
["For circulation among the members of the Parliament of religions to be held in
Chicago in connection with the World's Columbian fair."]